Love & Betrayal at World's End
by ChokolateKiss
Summary: As they travel to World's End to rescue Jack, Elizabeth starts to realize who truly lies in her heart. But Will is not about to let her go without a fight and Jack's feeling angry and betrayed when he returns. Jack & Elizabeth. Please Read & Review !
1. Chapter 1

The way he was gazing at her made Elizabeth want to melt. She felt nothing but stillness all around her, the rest of the world vanishing around them. His eyes carried certain sadness in them that touched her heart in such a profound way that she almost felt like crying. Before she knew what she was doing, Elizabeth closed the small distance between them and placed her lips upon his. He seemed taken aback at first, but then settled into the kiss. She wasn't sure of what to expect when their lips finally met, but the result was devastating and sent a chill down her spine. She kept pushing him backwards as the kiss continued to intensify, finally stopping when Jack's back hit the mast. Her hands slipped down his arms until they reached the cold chains hanging at their side and before her mind was able to argue with her to reconsider her actions, Elizabeth chained his hand to the mast. It was then that his eyes opened and he pulled his lips away from her. She felt the sudden cold as he pulled slightly away from her and gazed into her eyes.

Elizabeth tried telling him that it was the only way and that the monster was only after him and not the rest of them, but the look in his eyes made her heart break. He leaned back even more as a small smile crept to his lips and just as she was about to rethink what she had just done, he said the single word that would haunt her for many nights.

"Pirate," he whispered.

It was then that she knew she was no better than him. The truth was that she was worse. She had betrayed his trust and used the feelings he had for her against him selfishly to save herself and Will and the rest of the crew. He simply smiled at her, making Elizabeth feel even guiltier. It was true that _she_ had chained _him_ to the mast and was about to leave him to die, but in a twisted sense, she also expected some sort of reaction out of him deep down. She wanted him to shout at her, to scream at her and tell her how angry he was and in turn show her that he cared. But he gave her nothing. All he did was smile. Unable to stand it any longer, Elizabeth turned and ran as fast as she could away from him…away from the man who had such a profound effect on her every time they met. Never once looking back, she crawled down the ladder and onto the boat, where Will was sitting there patiently with the rest of the crew, an odd look upon his face. They asked where Jack was, and all she could do was lie that he had elected to stay behind and give them a chance. Once they had rowed far into the water, away from Jack and the monster that was about to devour him, they all looked back at the Black Pearl. The Kracken had fully taken over the ship and in a tragic moment, took it and its Captain down to the depths of the ocean. Elizabeth sat in the boat and watched the scene before her, unsure how she would ever be able to forgive herself for killing him.

All of a sudden, as she watched the water where Jack had just disappeared into calm, she heard a gushing voice which moved like the wind behind her ears.

"You're dead to me, _Elizabeth_," the voice whispered.

Looking up in a tremble, she knew without a doubt whose voice that was.

Elizabeth jumped up from her bed with a scream, sitting upright with the covers over her legs. She was sweating as her heart pounded heavily in her chest. Closing her eyes, she ran her hand through her silky, long hair and took a few gentle breaths to calm herself. Unable to sleep any longer, she tossed the covers aside and grabbed a loose black jacket which belonged to her father, securely wrapping it around her thin frame. Opening the door to her room, she crept past the sleeping crew, smiling faintly at how they were still slumbering despite her scream a moment ago. Her gaze then landed on Will, who was away in a deep slumber. Staring at him for a long moment, her heart fell. He was after all her fiancé and yet he was not the man who had been plaguing her thoughts. Sighing softly, she tiptoed up the stairs, walked above deck and head to the bow of the ship, gazing ahead of her at the water. The calmness of the sea brought her back another memory, one which revolved around her and Jack once more.

_ They were both sitting in front of the bonfire they had built, each holding a bottle of rum in their hands. Although she was trying to make him drunk in an effort to use him in her plan, she couldn't help but feel drawn to him as he spoke._

"_That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs but what a ship is...what the Black Pearl really is...is freedom," his voice whispered in her ears as if it were yesterday._

Sighing, Elizabeth looked away from the sea, almost guiltily. She was so focused on her thoughts and emotions that she didn't hear the gentle footsteps creeping up behind her.

"Thoughts keeping you awake?" Tia Dalma's voice came suddenly, causing Elizabeth to jump slightly.

She stared at the voodoo Priestess for a moment before returning her gaze to the open water ahead.

"Yes," she replied.

"Thoughts of someone in particular?" Tia Dalma asked, a smile forming on her lips.

Hearing the tone the woman was using, Elizabeth turned her face to hers.

"And what's it to you?" she asked suspiciously.

"Anything revolving a certain fallen Captain piques my interest," Tia Dalma replied in her thick accent, the smile still plastered on her face. "Jack and I go back a long way."

Elizabeth looked away at the sound of his name, escalating the interest in the woman beside her.

"There has been many a women that have crossed paths with Jack Sparrow in the past," she continued as Elizabeth stared at her from the corner of her eyes. "Oh, many indeed. Everyone loves him, especially the _women_."

When she received no response from the former Governor's daughter, Tia Dalma pressed on.

"Little, though, have I seen him have such a _profound_ effect on one of them," Tia Dalma said, inching closer to her.

"It's just the guilt, that's all," Elizabeth tried reasoning.

"Oh no my dear," Tia Dalma began as both women made eye contact. "The look I see in your eyes right now tells me something very different."

"What exactly do my eyes tell you?" Elizabeth asked, her voice etched with sarcasm.

"That you miss the man….and you _love_ him," she finished.

Elizabeth turned to her with a gasp, a response on the edge of her lips to refute the suggestion, but Tia Dalma cut her off.

"Oh, you love him indeed," she said, her smile returning as she emphasized her words. "These weeks that we have been on this ship together, I have seen you with young Mr. Turner. The way you look at him hardly compares to the look in your eyes when you're thinking of witty Jack Sparrow."

"And what makes you presume I'm thinking of Jack when I have that look in my eyes, as you say?" Elizabeth rebuffed.

Tia Dalma tilted her head for a moment and gazed at the young woman in front of her, shaking her head slightly at the denial she was seeing.

"Were you not thinking of him a moment ago when you came up here?" Tia Dalma asked.

Elizabeth's eyes gave her answer away and she knowingly looked to the side.

"You killed Jack Sparrow for many a reasons. You can lie to yourself that it was to save Mr. Turner and the rest of the crew, but you cannot hide your true feelings forever. You killed him because you were afraid," she stated, her accent visible through her words.

"Yes, of the Kracken," Elizabeth countered, but the Priestess shook her head.

"You killed him because you were afraid of the feelings you were developing for him. He helps unleash a side in you that is not proper for a Governor's daughter. A side that gives you freedom…a side that gives in to the passion he stirs in you," she said softly. "The sooner you admit who _truly_ lies in your heart, the better off everyone involved will be."

With that, Tia Dalma turned and quickly disappeared below deck, leaving Elizabeth to her thoughts. Sighing, she ran her hands through her hair before closing her eyes.

_ "Might I inquire as to how you came by these?" Jack asked, holding the Letters in his hand._

_ "Persuasion," Elizabeth replied._

_ "Friendly?" Jack asked, moving her so she walked backwards down the ship._

_ "Decidedly not," she replied with a slight scoff._

_ "Will strikes a deal for these and upholds it with honor. Yet you're the one standing here with the prize: Full pardon, commission as a privateer on behalf of England and the East India Trading Company," Jack said before turning around and walking away from her, tucking the Letters into his coat. "As if I could be bought for such a low price."_

"_Jack, the Letters, give them back," she said, chasing him._

"_No, persuade me," he replied, his back still to her._

"_You do know Will taught me how to handle a sword," she said in a soft voice, pressing her body on his back._

_ Smiling smugly, he turned around to fully face her._

"_As I said," he replied before whispering, "Persuade me."_

_ Elizabeth couldn't stop herself from smiling at his challenge so she turned and frustratingly walked away from him, to the opposite end of the ship as he watched her go. She gazed down at the water, her smile broadening wildly._

"_It's a curious thing," James Norrington's voice came as he stood by her side, causing her to shake the smile away. "There was a time when I would've given anything for you to look like that while thinking about me."_

"_I don't know what you mean," she stated, pretending to be oblivious to his comment._

"_Oh I think you do," he said, his tone rather suggestive._

"_Oh, don't be absurd," she said quickly. "I trust him, that's all."_

_ Norrington's expression as he walked away from her left her utterly confused. She was sure he had mentioned something about her 'latest fiancé', but such thoughts left her mind as her hands traveled to her pocket and landed on Jack's compass. Opening the compass, she watched as the needle spun before landing on a solid direction. Looking up from the compass, Elizabeth's eyes widened when she noticed Jack standing at the end of the needle, far from her. Shutting the compass quickly, she placed it back in her pocket and looked away in a mixture of surprise and fear._

"Leave me alone," Elizabeth mumbled loudly, opening her eyes and sighing heavily, hoping the memories would simply fade away.

But she was certain that the next time she closed her eyes, his image would plague her thoughts once again. It was then that she noticed something on the horizon dead ahead. As the smog began to clear over the water, Elizabeth's eyes slowly widened at what laid before them.

"Barbossa!" she shouted, running down below. "Barbossa, come quick!"

Her shout was followed by the sounds of footsteps scurrying below until Captain Barbossa, Will and Gibbs ran towards her.

"What ye be shouting for?" the Captain said angrily, his mood quite sour for being woken from his sleep.

"Look ahead," she said, motioning the waterfall that was only minutes away.

"Barbossa, you bastard!" Will exclaimed. "Where have you led us?"

Smiling at what he saw, the Captain turned to Will. "We're at World's End."

Just as the rest of the crew piled above deck, Barbossa turned and shouted orders. Everyone rushed to their stations while Elizabeth stood frozen in her spot. The thought that Jack was so near sent another shiver down her spine. It wasn't until Will shouted at her to grab hold of something that she shook out of her daze and grabbed the edge of the ship closest to the Captain. Just as she closed her eyes, the ship went into the air and began plummeting into oblivion.


	2. Chapter 2

There was certain stillness to the air around them. As a small wave plunged onto shore, the ends of it reached Elizabeth's feet, stirring her awake. Groaning slightly, Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and saw white sand all around her. Tilting her head back, she gradually pushed her body up until she was standing on her feet. Glancing around herself, she noticed Pintel and Ragetti arguing amongst themselves while Gibbs was gathering the rest of the crew together. All of a sudden, a pair of hands grabbed her tightly around her arms and spun her around.

"Elizabeth!" Will exclaimed in a pant, trying to get her attention. "Elizabeth, are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine," she replied, pulling out of his grip.

She then glanced around herself once more, her eyes scanning through the wreckage while Will gazed at her quietly. A slight frown formed on his face as he silently debated the awkwardness and unease that existed between them.

"What happened?" she suddenly asked, turning her gaze to Barbossa. "Where are we?"

Smiling wildly, Barbossa walked towards them before stopping in front of her.

"We're in Davy Jones' Locker," he replied, his rotten teeth showing through his smile as he spoke.

As he turned to pet his monkey Jack who sat quietly on his left shoulder, Elizabeth's eyes widened.

"Jack…," she whispered before looking up. "We need to find Jack."

Will looked away at the mention of the Pirate's name upon her lips, and the ardent worry in her voice that followed it.

"Aye," Gibbs agreed, coming up behind her.

"Captain Barbossa?" Ragetti's shaky voice came from the side, grabbing everyone's attention. "I think I see the Black Pearl."

They glanced in the direction he was pointing from atop a hill of white sand.

"Mind the boat," Gibbs ordered Cotton and the rest of the crew.

"Mind what boat?" Cotton's parrot squawked from his shoulder.

"He means stay here," Barbossa stated in an impatient tone before walking forward with Will, Elizabeth, Gibbs and Tia Dalma.

Once they reached the top of the hill, everyone spotted the Black Pearl quite a distance away. Elizabeth felt her heart jump into her throat, but she pushed her nerves aside and followed Pintel and Ragetti while the others marched after her. The air continued to be still around them without a single breeze while the only sound they heard was that of their own footsteps. After ten minutes of trekking forward in silence, Tia Dalma quickened her pace until she was side by side with Elizabeth.

"He's very close," she whispered through her thick accent, causing Elizabeth to look at her. "_Very _close. But I have a strange feeling…a bad feeling."

"What do you mean?" she asked worriedly.

"Something is not right with witty Jack," the voodoo Priestess exclaimed before gliding forward.

Before Elizabeth was able to ask her anything further, she realized that they had arrived at the base of the Black Pearl. Gazing up at the huge contraption, Elizabeth smiled inwardly at the beautiful sight she saw. Although the Black Pearl was old and had seen one too many battles, her beauty still shined through and she finally realized why Jack loved the ship so much. It was true that it gave him freedom, which he desperately craved, but it was also his home.

'_And you took that away from him…his freedom and his home'_ the voice inside her head spoke to her.

"Jack!" Gibbs finally shouted, pulling her out of her thoughts. "Captain, are you up there?"

When they received no response, Gibbs and Barbossa exchanged glances. Agreeing silently on their next course of action, Gibbs began climbing up the ladder and onto the ship. The others waited impatiently, watching from the ground as Gibbs disappeared above deck. Every second that passed seemed like an hour for Elizabeth as she waited on the white sand in worry.

"Sweet Mother of God," Gibbs' voice came all of a sudden, catching their attention.

Without waiting another moment, Elizabeth rushed to the ladder and began climbing. Will was calling her name from behind, but his words did not register in her mind as she quickened her pace, followed closely by the others. Once she reached the top of the deck, Elizabeth hurried towards Gibbs before stopping dead in her tracks and gasping aloud. That's when she and everyone else finally saw him. Jack's hands were bound together, as were his feet and he was tied to the mast, high above ground with his head hung to the side. He was shirtless and his eyes were closed. His chest and arms were covered with slash and burn marks as well as countless other wounds. The sight before them was so intense that even Barbossa looked away for a moment while blood trickled down Jack's chest and the sides of his face. Will, who partially wanted to kill Jack for pulling Elizabeth away from him, also looked away for a second to compose himself while tears immediately welled in Elizabeth's eyes as she gazed at the man before her.

"Bring him down," Tia Dalma exclaimed quietly.

Pintel and Ragetti quickly climbed the ropes hanging from the mast and cut the ropes holding Jack up. Leaning his body onto theirs, the two pirates carefully climbed back down, seating Jack down before removing the remainder of the rope from his writs and ankles. When they stepped back, Elizabeth slowly kneeled down in front of him, her voice caught in her throat. As Will continued to watch in silent anger, she traced his wounds through the air, never once touching his skin, almost afraid of causing him more pain if she did. Finally clasping her hand over her mouth, she allowed her tears to fall freely.

"Jack…," she choked out, finding her voice again. "Jack, please…open your eyes."

When there was no response, Barbossa turned to Tia Dalma.

"Is he 'dead' dead?" he asked with a slight frown.

"Almost," the voodoo Priestess exclaimed in a grave tone. "Davy Jones' Locker is the worst kind of hell. The things that happen to you here make you wish that you were dead."

Elizabeth turned her attention back to the man in front of her and inched her hand towards his face, still afraid to touch him. Taking a deep breath, she finally touched his cheek and began stroking it gently before whispering his name. All of a sudden, Jack stirred under her touch, causing them all to jump back slightly before he opened his eyes. He blinked several times before focusing on Elizabeth.

"Jack?" she asked, smiling through her tears as she searched his eyes for some sort of response.

But the eyes that gazed back at her did not belong to the rum-soaked yet lovable pirate Captain she knew from before. These new eyes belonged to a broken man, one who had nothing but cold and emptiness in his gaze. His gaze was so hard and detached that a chill crept down her spine.

"Jack…?" she tried once more.

"Get away from me," he suddenly stated in a low and angry tone.

Elizabeth had prepared herself for his anger once they rescued him, but the reality of her situation was much worse than she had expected. He looked straight through her as if she were dead to him and for the first time in a long while, Elizabeth was scared. As she silently rose to her feet, her eyes remained frozen solid on him and she watched as he achingly rose to his feet with Gibbs' help, clenching his teeth from the pain. Once he was on his feet, he leaned his back against the mast and breathed in a few times.

"That just took all of my energy," he stated quietly. "So what are you here for this time? Are you here to get more information out of me?"

The small group of people glanced amongst themselves in confusion by his words.

"Beckett was already here and I gave up nothing," he stated before smiling. "I'm actually quite proud of me self for that."

"Jack…," Gibbs began, but the Captain's eyes flew to Elizabeth.

"Or maybe you're here to torture me some more, is that it?" he said, the coldness returning to his eyes.

"We're here to rescue you Jack," Elizabeth replied quietly.

"Rescue me?" he said with a laugh. "Why would you want to rescue me when you already killed me?"

Elizabeth quickly looked away from his words while everyone else glanced at her in confusion.

"Elizabeth, what…?" Will began, but was unable to finish his sentence.

"Ah, so you're bonny lass hasn't told you everything, has she?" he said, venom laced in his words.

Realization dawned upon everyone's faces except for Tia Dalma, who already knew the situation by heart.

"Jack, we can get into all of this _after_ we go back," Barbossa exclaimed as Jack turned to him.

"Ah, Hector," he said with a smile. "It's been a while."

"Yes, the last time we met, you killed me, remember?" Barbossa said with a sarcastic smile.

"Of course I did," he replied, laughing aloud.

He then frowned and looked to the ground for a moment.

"Why are _you_ in my hallucination?" he asked no one in particular. "I never did like you."

"And I you," Barbossa replied. "But we're not in your mind Jack."

"How do I know that?" he asked with a slight sneer.

"Why would you see me of all people if we were?" Barbossa countered.

Jack thought of his reply for a moment before finally nodding in agreement.

"I can see your point as being one that is particularly valid," he stated quickly before pushing himself to his feet with a slight groan and looking around himself.

"We don't have a lot of time. We must go now," Will said firmly.

"Not without my affects," Jack stated, turning his back to them to pick up his shirt, coat, hat, sword and compass.

Elizabeth let out a small gasp when she saw his back, and the many deep wounds on it.

"How are we going to move the Pearl? Will asked. "We're stuck in the middle of sand."

"My friend Tia Dalma can help us out with that can't you luv?" Jack asked as Tia Dalma smiled seductively at him.

"I can indeed," she replied, touching his chin with her finger before walking to the edge of the ship.

While the others followed her, Jack turned around and looked Elizabeth dead in the eye. Closing the distance between them, he roughly grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him, catching her by surprise. His breath was so close to her that she began trembling.

"I will never forgive you for what you did, do you understand me?" he whispered in her ear.

"You said 'pirate' to me, Jack," she replied in a shaky voice. "I was only trying to save everyone else."

He tightened his grip on her arm which caused her to let out a small yelp, but not loud enough for anyone to notice them.

"Killing someone close to you to save your own skin doesn't fall in my good book," he snapped at her quietly. "There's betrayal and then there's _betrayal_, Miss Swann. Barbossa may have betrayed me, but he was only my first mate. You…you were different."

Elizabeth tilted her head slightly as another tear streamed down her left cheek.

"Jack, please…," she pleaded with him. "I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you. I'd die first."

Releasing his grip on her arms, he moved a couple steps back and wore his shirt.

"Well, you did hurt me but you'll never have to die for me because as far as I'm concerned, from this moment on, you're dead to me," he stated, groaning from the pain as he pulled his shirt down his chest and wore his jacket and his hat before looking back up at her with a fake smile. "So there's no need to feel guilty, Miss Swann. I'm just another rotten pirate, savvy?"

With that, he pushed his sword into its sheathe at his belt and tied his compass before walking to the others. Elizabeth kept her back to the rest of the crew in order to compose herself. Wiping her tears away, she took a deep breath and looked to the ground.

"But you're so much more than that to _me_," she whispered before sniffing and walking to the others.

As they waited in silence, they watched Tia Dalma close her eyes and raise her hands into the air beside her. After a couple minutes, she opened her eyes and turned to the others.

"It's best you hold on to something," Tia Dalma exclaimed with a smile before facing forward again.

The Pearl suddenly began moving, knocking Gibbs and Pintel off their feet. But they quickly recovered and grabbed onto the edge of the ship as Tia Dalma raised it into the air and began moving them forward.

"You'll never cease to amaze me," Jack expressed, standing next to the voodoo Priestess who turned to him and touched his chest.

"Does it hurt?" she asked quietly, which made Elizabeth turn towards them.

"More than you'll ever know," he whispered with a sad smile before turning his gaze back out to the sand.

Elizabeth immediately looked away and closed her eyes, silently pleading with her tears not to fall. Will glanced between Jack and Elizabeth for a long moment before walking to her and placing his arm around her waist, claiming her as his property much to Elizabeth's surprise. She quickly glanced at Jack for his reaction, but he refused to look at them. It was then that they suddenly reached the hill top from before and to the amazement of the rest of the crew who were left behind at the shore, the Black Pearl plunged into the water, splashing waves everywhere. A loud cheer came from the crew aboard the ship and the others on land, in a mixture of joy for seeing both Jack and the Black Pearl alive. As they waited for the rest of the crew to board the ship, Jack walked to the helm and glided his hand over the large wheel, smiling sadly.

"Take us out to sea Captain," Gibbs exclaimed happily once the last crew member was on board.

"Out to sea," Cotton's parrot squawked aloud.

"All you have to do is head out for the horizon," Tia Dalma stated from behind. "You'll reach a small whirlpool and we'll have to dive straight into it. Don't be afraid because that is our only way home."

"There's only one thing that I'm afraid of in this world…other than the Kracken," Jack stated, glancing at the voodoo Priestess. "And a whirlpool's not it."

Elizabeth repeated his words in her mind, silently wondering what he meant by them as he turned and looked down at his right hand, which began to shake violently. Gripping it tightly with his other hand, Jack cleared his throat and turned to Barbossa.

"Hector," he called his name, causing the other pirate Captain to walk up to him.

"What be the matter now Jack?" he asked.

"I was wondering if _you_ could take us out," he stated.

Frowning slightly, Barbossa took a step back. "No arguing about how it's _your_ ship and how _you're_ the Captain?"

"It is _my_ ship and I am the bloody _Captain_," Jack replied with a smile. "But seeing as to how I am not at my very best physically, emotionally…and mentally, I though it would be best that you steer us back home."

"Ah," Barbossa said.

"But the second we're back, I _will_ reclaim my place as Captain, understood?" he said and Barbossa smile.

"Agreed," he said, emphasizing the word before whispering so only he would hear, "We shall see."

With that, Jack walked back to the bow of the ship and placed his hands on the edge, gazing out at the water in silence. Both of his hands began trembling on the warm and damp wood and he looked up with a scared look in his eyes. Elizabeth noticed something else was amiss with him, but she dared now follow and ask him any questions. She simply stood to the side and secretly watched him from behind.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks so much for the reviews! I'm new to fan fiction and this is my first story so thanks a lot!

Chapter 3

After twenty minutes of steering the vessel forward, Barbossa finally noticed a large whirlpool dead ahead of them. Everyone began scurrying around the deck, following his orders while Jack simply stood at the stern of the ship, away from everyone else.

"All hands to stations!" Barbossa shouted aloud as everyone followed his command.

"Grab hold of something, men!" Will added above the loud noise of the sudden crashing waves.

As Elizabeth grabbed the edge of one of the manropes, she turned and saw Jack standing motionless, his hands not gripping any form of support while his eyes were fixed on thin air.

"Jack!" she shouted his name several times, but received no response.

Before she was able to shout his name again, Tia Dalma turned from where she stood and blew a cold breeze straight to his face. He suddenly snapped out of his daze and looked at her.

"Hold on to something," she said calmly from her place next to Pintel and Ragetti.

With that, he grabbed onto another manrope just as Barbossa plunged head-first into the whirlpool, letting out a wicked cackle as he steered the Black Pearl.

"If Barbossa steers us correctly, this should only last for a few minutes!" Tia Dalma shouted to the crew.

As the waves began crashing down on top of them one after another, Cotton's grip on a rope loosened and he fell backwards off the edge of the ship.

"Cotton!" Gibbs shouted for the fallen pirate, but it was no use since he couldn't respond.

"I'll get him," Elizabeth exclaimed.

"No!" Will said in disagreement as another wave crashed onto the deck.

"I'm closer to him," Elizabeth replied and began climbing towards Cotton before Will could argue with her any further.

Everyone watched in worry as Elizabeth slowly climbed to the other side of the ship. A wave hit her as she moved, but she struggled to hold a tight grip on the rope and pulled herself towards a frightened Cotton.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" she exclaimed before finally reaching him and extending her hand. "Come on, take my hand!"

The pirate waited for another fearful moment before taking her hand and struggling back onto the deck of the Pearl. His foot got caught on a net and it sent both of them backwards on the deck, landing on their backs.

"Hurry and grab hold of something!" Will shouted over the angry waves.

As Cotton scurried to his feet, he ran across the deck and held onto a set of ropes near Ragetti. Elizabeth came to follow, but another wave rocked the ship and sent her facedown on the deck before the water surrounded her. Unable to grab hold of any support, she screamed as she began sliding down to the stern of the ship where Jack was standing. Another tumble made her go overboard and she held the edge with both hands. Will shouted her name and tried his hardest to reach her, but the waves were too violent and held him back.

"Elizabeth, hold on!" Will shouted, although he was unsure whether she heard him or not.

She tightened her grip as best as she could before glancing down at the ferocious waves that were attacking the Pearl and tugging at her feet. All of a sudden, she felt a pair of hands reach down and grab hers. Looking up, Elizabeth smiled when she saw her rescuer.

"Take my hand," Jack exclaimed, reaching for her.

Obeying his command, she took his hand in hers and climbed up with all her strength. He helped her over the edge and back onto the deck as everyone watched them in silence. Pulling her tightly to his chest, Jack grabbed hold of a set of ropes as she clung to his body in support. Will watched in a mixture of relief and anger as Elizabeth tilted her head into Jack's chest and closed her eyes.

"Hold on," he whispered into her ear as she nodded.

As the Pearl plunged for the final time, she felt Jack tighten his grip around her waist. Smiling inwardly, she locked her hands behind his back, taking comfort from the closeness of his body. He clenched his teeth from the pain of having her so close to him and the wounds on his body, but knowing that she was safe made it seem worthwhile. All of a sudden, a final wave crashed over them and before they knew it, they emerged from the sea to sunrise and a calm body of water. Everyone but Jack and Elizabeth released their grips and slowly crawled back onto the deck, gazing around themselves in silence.

"We made it!" Gibbs finally shouted with a clap. "We made it!"

The rest of the crew began celebrating their return while Barbossa laughed heartily at the helm. At the stern, Jack released his grip on the ropes but not on Elizabeth. Breathing heavily, she leaned back and glanced around herself at the calm sea before gazing into his eyes. They held their gaze for a long moment, blocking out the celebratory shouts from around them and focusing only on one another.

"You saved me," she said with a soft smile. "Jack…I can't believe you did that."

Before he was able to respond, Jack noticed Will approaching them from behind. Stepping away from her and releasing her body from his grasp, he placed some distance between them.

"Don't let it go to your pretty lil' head, Miss Swann," he stated in the same cold tone from earlier before walking off.

She watched him go in a mixture of sadness and confusion before her eyes landed on Will.

"Are you alright?" he asked, also in a cold tone.

"Yes," she stated, somewhat guiltily.

When he came to leave, she held onto his arm and stopped him.

"Will…," she began.

Without any hesitation, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately in an effort to remind her of what they shared between them. Taken by surprise from his sudden move, Elizabeth pulled away and broke the kiss.

"I love you Elizabeth," he stated quickly and firmly. "I want to marry you."

"I love you too Will," she replied sadly.

But the look in her eyes showed confusion, the answer that he wasn't looking for.

"I guess I have my answer," he said with a bitter scoff.

"No!" she exclaimed, stopping him from leaving once more. "Will, I'm sorry. I'm just confused!"

"Confused about what?" he snapped at her. "We're engaged! We would have been married right now if it weren't for _him_."

"Will…," she tried again, but he was on a roll and wasn't about to stop.

"He'll never be good enough for you Elizabeth. He'll simply toss you aside whenever he's bored. Is that what you want? What about your father? Do you want him to be ridiculed because of your selfishness?" he exclaimed.

"Of course not!" she snapped back at him.

"Then what is there to be confused about?" the anger slowly disappearing and replaced by sadness.

When she couldn't reply, Will shook his head and walked away.

"I know what I want: you," he said, facing her again. "It's your turn."

With that, he walked towards Barbossa at the opposite end of the ship. Elizabeth stood for a long moment in silence, running her hand through her silky long hair and sighing before scanning the deck for Jack. When she couldn't find him amidst the crew, her eyes focused on the stairs which led below deck. Walking across the deck and downstairs, she approached the Captain's Quarters. Her hand was on the wooden door ready to knock but something held her back.

"_I will never forgive you for what you did, do you understand me?" Jack's voice echoed in her mind._

Tears welled in the corners of her eyes as she took a couple steps away from the door. When the first tear streamed down her cheek, she rushed below deck to the crew's quarters, away from everyone. Only a few seconds passed before Jack swung the door open and glanced into the hallway, having sensed a presence behind the door. Seeing no one there, he sighed sadly and closed the door once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks so much for the reviews! I hope I won't disappoint. There's a breakup in this chapter (heads up) and JE are far from reuniting but things will get better for them soon, I promise! The sad stuff is going to end :) I felt bad for Elizabeth when I wrote this chapter, but she's a strong girl and a pirate and she'll be back to kicking people's butts really soon!

Chapter 4

The Brethren Court had been called and the Nine Pirate Lords were to meet to discuss their defense against Lord Beckett and the East India Trading Company. They were to meet at a place called Shipwreck Cove, a fortress in the water protected by large boulders on all sides from any oncoming attack.

When Elizabeth woke the next morning, she noticed that her pillow was still damp from the tears she had shed last night. Sighing heavily, she sat up in her bed and rubbed away the sleep from her tired eyes. Tying her hair back in a loose ponytail, her fingers brushed against the necklace she wore. Removing it from around her neck, she gazed down at it sadly. It was a gold chain that Will had given to her as an engagement present. He had been adamant on giving her a piece of expensive jewelry even though she had wanted something much simpler.

Gazing down at the necklace, she thought back to how much had changed during the past couple months, especially Elizabeth herself. She had prayed many nights that once Jack was rescued, things would go back to the way they were. But one look into Jack's eyes in Davy Jones' Locker was all it took to send her entire world into a tailspin. Elizabeth felt like a silly girl, thinking such thoughts, but she was positive that the attraction between her and Jack was much deeper than being simply physical and that idea scared her to death.

Sighing once more, she placed the necklace securely in her pocket and rose to her feet. Opening the door to the private quarters she was given, she began heading up the stairs. When she reached above deck, she took a deep breath of the warm breeze and basked in the sunlight for a moment before walking towards the Black Pearl's temporary Captain. Before she was able to speak, however, something caught the corner of her eye. Turning to gaze at the port they were rapidly approaching, she scoffed incredulously.

"Tortuga?" she asked in disbelief, recognizing the town's shores. "How? We're supposed to be so much farther than a day's travel."

"I'd imagine you'd have Tia Dalma to thank for that," Barbossa exclaimed from the helm.

Elizabeth glanced back at the voodoo Priestess who simply smiled at her from across the deck.

"But why Tortuga?" she asked with a frown. "Shouldn't we be heading to Shipwreck Cove?"

"Aye," Barbossa agreed. "We should."

"Then why are we _here_?" she asked, getting easily agitated.

"Because I need a drink," Jack suddenly said as he brushed past her.

"The Captain needs a drink," Ragetti repeated in a giddy tone as he and Pintel scurried after him.

Ignoring the other pirates, Elizabeth simply watched Jack as Barbossa pulled leisurely into port. The moment they were docked, Jack stepped off the ship and began heading into town. She suddenly realized that he did not walk with the same swagger anymore, but rather normally. As Gibbs, Barbossa and the rest of the crew began piling out after him, Will walked up to Elizabeth, catching her by surprise when he touched her arm.

"Will you not go to shore?" he asked as she faced him.

"It's just a waste of time," she replied, but realized that she, too, was in need of a drink. "Everyone else is going, though. I might as well join them."

"To have a drink?" he asked in disbelief.

"Yes," she replied, frowning slightly at the scoff he gave her.

He nodded at her reply, disappointed in her words, and looked away. Will had begun to realize the past few weeks that the woman in front of him was not the same Elizabeth he knew and loved, the one he wanted to marry. The old Elizabeth would have never accompanied pirates or drank rum in Tortuga.

"_Maybe you never knew her at all?' a voice inside his head asked him. _

"Are you coming?" she asked quietly, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Someone has to stay behind and mind the ship," he said bitterly before walking towards the bow.

She came to call his name and follow him, but it was no use. Things between them were far from right and Elizabeth was surer with every passing day that she and Will were not at the end of destiny's road. She knew deep down in her heart that she would break things off with Will eventually and had been putting that conversation off as much as she could. She had come to realize that even if Jack never forgave her for what she had done, she couldn't continue lying to herself and Will and hurting them both by denying her true feelings. This she had realized the moment she had looked into Jack's eyes when they had rescued him and it had been confirmed last night when she had cried herself to sleep over a man who wasn't her betrothed. She had never felt this way for anyone before and this gave her the strength to be true to her feelings once and for all.

Watching Will's back silently for a moment, she slowly approached him from behind. He was still very dear to her and a part of her heart would always belong to him. Right now, looking at him from behind, she knew that he was hurting and that she was to blame. There were only two things that Elizabeth wanted in her life: to make Will understand and take his pain away and to come clean with Jack and have him forgive her.

"I'm sorry Will," she finally said, making him turn around.

"Sorry for what?" he asked angrily. "Are you sorry for not telling me that you were to blame for Jack's death? Are you sorry for keeping me in the dark about everything? Or are you sorry for kissing him?"

"I'm sorry that you're hurting," she said quietly. "I know that it's my fault."

"Don't flatter yourself, Elizabeth," he said, venom in his voice. "Not everything in my life revolves around you."

She stared at him for a long moment, his hatred somewhat surprising her.

"When did you become so angry Will?" she asked him cautiously. "So dark?"

He looked her dead in the eyes for a minute, ready to reply, but then thought better of it and looked away.

"Things are so different now," she began, taking a couple steps closer to him. "I feel like we haven't talked in ages."

"You're to blame for whatever went wrong between us, Elizabeth…not me," he snapped at her.

Scoffing, she turned to him angrily. "I take my share of the blame for the way things are between us, but I'm not the only one at fault."

"Are you actually trying to pin this on me?" he demanded. "To blame me for the way our relationship is?"

"I'm saying that you're not entirely blameless either," she expressed. "I feel like you have this image of me of this porcelain doll that you want locked away from the rest of the world. I'm not made out of china, Will! I feel things and I have an opinion and a voice! I can't stand living the life of a courtier in England. It suffocates me."

"So all of your life has been like a prison. Is that what you're saying?" he demanded.

"No, that's not what I mean," she corrected. "Will, you look at piracy and pirates the same way Beckett does. You see them as the enemy. Even though you fight alongside them, you're never really _with_ them."

"So you want to live the rest of your life in the sea, running away from the law with one adventure after another?" he asked, his voice rising quickly. "What kind of life is that?"

"I want freedom," she said quietly. "I'm not the person you think I should be…the person you want me to be. I'm sorry but that's the truth."

"So it's not only the life as the Governor's daughter that suffocates you, but me too apparently," he said with a scoff.

"Will, that's not what I said," she stated firmly before softening her voice. "I love you."

"But you love him _more_, right?" he said.

When she didn't respond, he nodded with a sneer.

"I guess now I have my answer," he said and came to walk away, but she grabbed his arm to stop him from going.

"Will, wait!" she pleaded with him. "This isn't how I wanted things to turn out. I want to love you the way you want me to so much…to be with you and marry you. I _do_ love you, Will."

"Just not enough, I guess," he said, his voice suddenly turning gentler as he looked down.

"I don't want to lose you Will," she said softly. "You're such an important part of my life. You're my…."

"Best friend?" he finished for her, cutting her off.

"Will…," she tried again, but couldn't form any more words.

"Elizabeth, I can stand here and try to convince you that I'm the one you should be with and that if you choose to walk away, all roads will eventually lead back to me," he said before laughing sadly. "But I shouldn't have to convince my fiancée to be with me and I won't because when I finish, you're going to turn around and go to him anyway, aren't you?"

"I'm so sorry…," she began.

Nodding sadly, he looked down at the deck.

"Just go Elizabeth," he said, unable to look at her.

"Will, I know how angry you are at me right now," she said sadly. "I'm so sorry for hurting you! I'm sorry for everything I've put you through."

Nodding at her apology, he distanced himself from her and looked out to sea.

"Just go," he said, making his word the final one in their conversation.

She gazed at him helplessly for what seemed like hours, but only a couple minutes before sighing softly and stepping off the ship. Will turned his face and watched her go, an odd look in his eyes. As she continued walking, she finally reached the edge of the lively town. Walking towards a fountain in the very middle, she gazed down at her reflection silently. What she saw wasn't the Governor's daughter, but a young woman who had become a pirate. Looking away from the water, she decided to explore Tortuga's busy alleys and walls in an effort to get her mind off of her horrible reality. Hardly anyone glanced her way as she wandered around the town, everyone too drunk or too engaged in their own personal lives to notice. Before she knew it, she had walked around for a couple of hours and had circled around herself twice.

Glancing around herself in exhaustion, Elizabeth spotted the same brewery she had found Jack in the last time she had visited Tortuga. As she began heading towards the tavern, she thought back to that night for she had also found a drunken James Norrington, one who had been driven to alcohol after his title and life had been stripped away from him. The last she had seen of Norrington was when he had taken the chest of Davy Jones and sacrificed himself in an effort to save them all. He had been her fiancé for a short period of time and Elizabeth looked down sadly at the thought. She had been unfaithful to him with Will and now she was being unfaithful to Will with Jack. Elizabeth shook her head, trying her hardest not to think such thoughts for at least a while as she quietly entered the bar. It was fairly easy to find Jack once she was inside. He was seated at the back of the tavern with an almost empty bottle of rum in his hand and a large crowd of people gathered around him as he recounted a few of his famous tales.

"And then I killed him all by me onesies, savvy?" he expressed, causing the group to erupt into a fit of laughter.

'_At least one of us is smiling,' the voice inside her head told her._

Knowing that her presence would most likely dampen his mood, she walked to the bar and took a seat.

"Rum," she told the old bartender who hesitated for a moment before pouring her a tall glass.

Talking a big sip, she placed the glass back down and closed her eyes where Jack's face immediately appeared. Groaning in frustration, she reopened her eyes just in time to see two pirates sitting on her either side.

"What do you want?" she snapped.

"We're just wondering what a pretty woman like you is doing here all by yourself," the man on her left stated, revealing his rotten teeth to her.

He had a large scar traveling down his left cheek while the other man was shirtless and rather hairy.

"Leave me alone," she stated firmly, disgusted by their presence.

"Or what poppet?" the second one said touching her hair.

Giving a disgusted sigh, she rose to her feet.

"Or I'll run you through," she said and reached for her sword, but gasped when she realized it wasn't at her belt.

The two pirates laughed at her before rising to their feet and moving her backwards into a corner.

"Come here poppet," the second pirate said, moving towards her.

"You don't want to be doing that mate," a voice came from behind.

They turned to see Jack pointing a sword at them.

"She's with you?" the first pirate asked with a growl.

Jack stared at Elizabeth for a long time before nodding.

"Aye, she is," he stated.

Respecting the Pirate Captain, the two men turned and cautiously walked away as Jack placed his sword back in its sheathe.

"Thank you," she said, unable to meet his eyes.

He came to leave but mistook a step and almost fell. Elizabeth's reflexes were quick, however, and she easily caught him. He immediately pulled away from her and steadied himself.

"Lack of rum followed by the sudden consumption of _a lot_ of rum can do that to a man," he said before walking off.

She watched as he walked up a set of stairs towards the end of the bar and disappeared out of her sight. Following him, she climbed the stairs and entered a private room after him. The room was small with only a miniature window overlooking a busy street outside and a bed in the center. Realizing what the bed was for, she sighed and closed the door, startling Jack, who had already removed his coat and his hat.

"Oh, what do you want now Miss Swann?" he asked in frustration.

"Why did you save me?" she demanded firmly. "If you hate me as much as you say you do, then why did you save me twice?"

He looked away from her but she closed the distance between them and grabbed his arms to stop him from moving.

"Why?" she repeated.

"Would you have preferred me to stand back and watch you fall to your death or perhaps have those bloody pirates ravage you?" he snapped at her.

"I can take care of myself. I don't need a big, strapping man to protect me," she replied firmly.

When he looked away from her again, Elizabeth softened her tone.

"Why Jack?" she asked in a sad whisper.

He finally met her eyes and what she saw in his gaze scared her. It wasn't an empty coldness from before, but rather a sad and broken gaze full of vulnerability and she wasn't sure what to do. Before she could ask him anything further, he pushed her hard against the wall. The move hurt her, but she stood frozen and simply gazed into his eyes.

"I'm too drunk to remember any of this," he said before placing his hands on the collar of her shirt. "I could take you right now, do you know that?"

"You would never do anything to compromise my honor," she said, repeating the words she had told him weeks ago. "I trust you completely. You're a good man."

He looked away at her words but when she placed her hand on his heart, he gazed back into her eyes.

"Do you feel how fast your heart is beating?" she asked quietly as he nodded.

Taking his hand, she placed it upon her own.

"Mine is beating just as fast," she said as he looked at their joined hands over her heart.

He then did something she never thought he'd do. Leaning in towards her, he brushed his lips against hers, sending an electric shock through her entire body. Realizing that he was waiting for her to make the next move, Elizabeth inched forward and locked her hands around his neck. Jack then held the sides of her face and kissed her. It started soft but quickly turned passionate as she whimpered in pleasure and buried her hands in his hair. Finally pulling away, he left her completely breathless and wanting more, but instead of kissing her again, he leaned his forehead onto hers. They both breathed heavily and closed their eyes, the incredible depth of the intimacy of the moment not lost on either of them.

"Forgiveness is easy," he suddenly whispered, leaning back to look into her eyes. "I _can_ forgive you Elizabeth."

She smiled at him hopefully for a moment before he pulled away from her, his eyes turning dark.

"But I'll never forget," he finished as she protested in silence. "And besides, you're another man's fiancé. I may not think the best of Will, but he is your future husband."

"I think we just ended things between us," she said quietly.

Jack looked at her in disbelief before sighing.

"Why?" he asked, causing her to look up at him.

"Do you really have to ask?" she said in a whisper.

"Don't tell me that it was because of me," he said, shaking his head. "The bloody whelp loves you, Miss Swann. And I know that you love him. So why ruin a good thing?"

"Because the way I feel about him doesn't compare to the way I feel about…," she began, but he cut her off.

"Stop; Just stop right there," he said, looking down and sighing. "You and I have no future together, savvy?"

"Why not?" she asked, strength behind her words.

"Why not?" he repeated. "Well one because you killed me. Two because I don't trust you any more than the distance I can throw you and three…."

"What's number three?" she asked. "I already know the other two. What's number three?"

"Three because I'm not good enough for you," he said sadly.

"God, I wish everyone would stop telling me how I should feel!" she said angrily, throwing her hands in the air above her head in frustration. "What about what_ I_ want? Do I not get a say in anything? Pease in a pod, remember that?"

"First you wanted Norrington, then Will and now me. You're just infatuated with what I represent," he said, but she shook her head in disagreement.

"No, you're wrong," she said.

"I represent freedom and you want it so it's confused you into thinking that you want me too," he stated firmly.

"No," she repeated.

They stared at one another in silence for a minute before she spoke up.

"Was that all?" she asked in a challenging tone. "Or is there a number four?"

Jack gazed at her for a long moment before responding. He knew his next words would hurt her, but he had no other choice.

"Four…I guess I just don't _want_ _you_," he said.

"You're lying," she said quickly. "The way you just kissed me…."

"I'm a man and a pirate who happens to be drunk. I saw an opportunity and I took it," he replied. "That's all you are, Elizabeth: an opportunity."

With that, she slapped him hard across his cheek, leaving a large red mark as he blinked away the pain and looked at her.

"You bastard," she snapped at him as he gave her a mischievous smile.

"Pirate," he said, motioning himself.

He knew that he was hurting her with his words, but there was too much damage and baggage between them for him to kiss her again and sail into the horizon with her. She may have ended things with Will, but things between Jack and her were far from being good. She had chained him to the mast and left him to a terrible hell, one that he couldn't bring himself to tell her about. He was far from being healed both physically and emotionally from the torture he had seen and he blamed her partly for what had happened to him. Beyond that, Jack knew that his life would only bring her danger and the thought of her being hurt because of him scared him more than he would ever admit.

"Get out," she said in an icy tone. "Get out!"

As she breathed in heavily from her scream, he grabbed his coat and his hat and walked out of the room. Elizabeth stood with her back pinned to the wall, unable to move as tears welled in her eyes once more. As she slowly fell to the ground, she finally burst out into tears. She had stopped the tears from getting this far for the past few weeks, but now she was simply unable to hold them in any longer. Will hated her and Jack was a jerk and didn't want her. Outside, the Captain leaned his back on the wall in the hallway and listened to her as she cried. As much as it broke his heart to see her in so much pain, especially over him, he tore himself away from the door and disappeared down the stairs.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

About an hour had passed before everyone had begun heading back towards the Pearl. Elizabeth had spent the better part of the hour curled up on the bed crying before she had wiped her eyes and vowed to herself not to cry like that for any man ever again. When she left the brewery, she made her way back down the main street where she found Jack standing with Gibbs, deep in conversation. She stared at him for a long minute before he turned to look at her. He saw her red eyes and immediately his face saddened, but she wasn't about to give him any satisfaction for he had broken her heart in two. Turning around, she began heading back towards the docks without speaking a single word. Sighing, Jack started following her with Gibbs at his side. As Elizabeth kept walking, she suddenly felt a presence at her side.

"You have cried," Tia Dalma said softly.

"I'm done crying," Elizabeth replied rather coldly before distancing herself from the voodoo Priestess.

Tia Dalma shook her head and watched her go in dismay before whispering so quietly that only she herself could hear. "No you are not, child."

As they reached the docks, something seemed to be amiss with what they saw. Pintel & Ragetti turned to one another with confused frowns before facing forward again while Jack stopped dead in his tracks. Moving through the crew and pushing past everyone, he stopped before them all and stared out into sea.

"Mr. Gibbs!" he exclaimed.

Gibbs quickly rushed to the Captain's side as Barbossa followed him. "Aye, Sir?"

"Do you think that something perhaps may be missing here Mr. Gibbs?" Jack asked, pointing to the water by the docks.

Gibbs looked at the water for a moment before turning back to him.

"Sir?" he asked, confused by the question.

Elizabeth's frown suddenly turned into realization as she took a couple steps forward.

"The Pearl!" she expressed hurriedly.

"Exactly," Jack said, smiling sarcastically at Gibbs. "Where the bloody hell is my ship, Mr. Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked at the water once more before realization finally dawned upon him. "Mother's love! Captain, the Pearl's gone!"

"You don't say," Jack said sarcastically before turning to Barbossa.

"Now ye've really done it, haven't ye Jack?" Barbossa stated.

"Oh shut it," he replied in frustration.

"The Pearl is gone once again and we have a trifling need to go to a little place known as Shipwreck Cove," Barbossa exclaimed. "Any plans?"

"Listen you rum-pot deckhand," Jack began as Barbossa scoffed.

Before he could give a response, Jack continued with his rant.

"I was dead not _three _days ago and as I recall correctly, and I usually do, I gave the Pearl to your command to take until I get my bloody head right!" he exclaimed

"None of this is getting us anywhere," Tia Dalma said, getting between the two before they went at it with their swords once more. "Who was the last one to leave the ship?"

Elizabeth's eyes suddenly widened in surprise; "Will."

"What did ye say?" Barbossa asked with a frown as everyone faced her.

"Will," she spoke more loudly, looking up at everyone. "Will was the last one on the ship when I left."

"Are ye trying to tell me that the bloody whelp stole my ship?" Barbossa asked in disbelief.

"My ship," Jack corrected.

"I think so," she replied, looking away from Jack's eyes as he let out a frustrated scream.

Everyone suddenly began talking at once, causing Jack to hold his head.

"Captain, what will ye do?" Ragetti asked.

"Curse that slack-jawed idiot!" Gibbs snapped angrily.

"This be the most egregious act that…" Pintel began, but Jack put his hands up in front of them.

"Belay, belay, belay!" he snapped at everyone, causing them to quiet down before he faced Gibbs. "Mr. Gibbs, we have a considerably significant need to find ourselves another ship, savvy?"

Gibbs nodded quickly at his words.

"Find me a ship, Mr. Gibbs," he ordered angrily.

"Aye Sir," Gibbs exclaimed before rushing off with Cotton and a few other members of the crew.

Sighing, Jack placed his hands on his waist and gazed out into sea.

"Jack…," Elizabeth began, approaching him. "He just wants to save his father. With everything that's happened…especially between us, I think he feel that he only has his father left."

"He's a bloody idiot," Jack snapped, facing her. "The Black Pearl is the _only_ ship that can outrun the Flying Dutchman. It was the one piece of leverage we had against that squid-faced buffoon and now we don't even have that thanks to bloody stupid Will."

"I'm warning you Jack. Don't hurt him," she said firmly as he faced her.

"I won't have to," he replied. "If he continues acting as stupidly as he's done, Jones will deal with him on his own."

With that, he glanced back at sea when a thought suddenly occurred to him.

"Mr. Gibbs!" he exclaimed as the pirates all turned to face him.

"What is it Captain?" Gibbs asked for he and the others hadn't covered too much ground yet.

"Anamaria!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in the air. "Anamaria's got the Interceptor!"

"Aye, Sir!" Gibbs said with a smile before he and the others ran down the street.

"I thought she hated you," Elizabeth began, crossing her arms at her chest.

"She _did_ hate me, but I gave her a ship," Jack said with a smile. "One I plan on taking back."

With that, he turned around to see Barbossa standing directly behind him, with Jack the monkey on his shoulder.

"Ye know Jack, I believe ye've lost the Pearl more than ye've ever had it," he exclaimed as Jack sneered at him.

"Perhaps," he said in agreement. "But I don't plan on losing her again. I promise you that."

With a large grin, he turned around and walked away from the small group, standing on his own in silence as he gazed out at the calm water.

"That's what you said last time," Barbossa said, shaking his head and turning his attention to his monkey.

Elizabeth watched Jack in silence as he stood completely motionless, unaware that her eyes were on him. After what seemed like twenty minutes, Gibbs and the others ran back rather hurriedly towards them, waving their arms in the air.

"Where is she?" Jack asked, meeting them midway.

"We have her ship Captain," Gibbs replied. "Perhaps it's best we deal with her wrath on another day."

"Aye," Jack exclaimed before facing the crew. "Hurry!"

Elizabeth watched them in confusion but quickly followed as they made their way across the large dock, passing an array of ships and boats on their way. Quickly reaching the Interceptor, they climbed aboard one by one.

"Weigh anchor. Hoist the sails!" Jack ordered, rushing to the helm while the crew rushed to their stations.

"Man the braces!" Barbossa added. "Let down and haul to run free!"

"What are you doing?" Jack asked, facing him as Barbossa pushed him aside and took the helm.

"Your hands," he exclaimed, motioning Jack's right hand that had began trembling once more.

Staring down at it with a frown, Jack withdrew his hand and sighed.

"Take her out," he said as Barbossa smiled and steered the vessel.

All of a sudden, they noticed a large group of people running down the docks and approaching them from the side.

"Jack Sparrow!" Anamaria's voice came as she and her crew stopped before the ship, but it was too far into the water for them to do anything.

"Thank you my dear for providing us with your ship," Jack exclaimed with a smile, removing his hat and saluting her.

"When I catch you…," she began, her blood boiling.

"I know, I know," Jack replied. "You'll make me regret it. Until then, luv."

As Anamaria watched completely stunned, Jack and his crew made way with _her_ ship. Letting out an angry scream, she simply stood there and watched as the Interceptor got smaller across the horizon.

"Am I to assume our next heading is for Shipwreck Cove?" Barbossa asked as Jack nodded.

"Aye," he replied, removing his compass and opening the lid.

He watched as the needle spun around once before landing on a firm location. Looking up in the direction it was pointed, Jack sighed when he saw Elizabeth standing at the end of it. Gazing out into sea worriedly, Elizabeth moved across the deck and Jack watched as the needle slowly followed her. Clearing his throat, he snapped his compass shut and head below deck as Elizabeth stood at the edge of the ship. Her mind was filled with thoughts concerning Will and the worry she felt for him. At the back of her mind, she also thought back to a couple hours ago when she had left one man for another, only to have the other reject her. Sighing, she hugged herself and stood alone, her thoughts not giving her a moment's peace.

As night quickly approached, they arrived at Shipwreck Cove. It was a vast fortress covered with incredible boulders on all sides. As they entered through the large gates, they suddenly saw a piece of land in the center lit with candles all around. From outside, it merely looked like a few rocks in the middle of the water but inside was a different story. Docking the ship, they dropped the anchor and piled off of the ship one by one. Arriving at the main doors of the large construction in the middle of the land, they were stopped by three pirates.

"Who be ye?" the first pirate asked, his clothes ripped and a foul smell coming from him.

"Captains Sparrow and Barbossa," Jack exclaimed, motioning the two of them.

"Ye can enter…and yer first mates," the pirate stated in a growl.

"Gibbs," Jack said while Elizabeth gave a knowing glance at Barbossa.

Sighing heavily, he pointed her way. "Elizabeth Swann."

The four of them walked through the doors while the rest of the crew returned to the Interceptor. Tia Dalma watched them go with an odd smile on her face before following the others. Once they were through the doors, they walked down a dimly lit corridor before approaching another set of doors. Opening them and walking through, they stopped to see everyone facing them in silence. At the center of the large room was a vast table with ten chairs around it. At the table sat six other men and one Asian woman.

"The ones seated are the Pirate Lords," Barbossa explained.

"But three chairs are empty," Elizabeth stated in confusion.

"Aye," Barbossa said with a smile as he and Jack walked to the seated Pirate Lords and all of a sudden, conversation and music broke out.

She watched as the two men shook hands with all of the people around the table, laughed and chatted amongst them before stopping at an Asian man.

"Jack Sparrow," the man said with a sneer, gripping the other pirate's hand and squeezing it tightly.

"Sao Feng," Jack replied, prying his hand away from the pirate and walking away cautiously.

He and Barbossa then took the two chairs seated side by side at the head of the table. Elizabeth looked up at Gibbs for an explanation and he smiled at her.

"Jack and Barbossa are Pirate Lords?" she asked in disbelief as the older man nodded at her.

As they turned back to the group, Barbossa punched his fist on the table, getting everyone's attention.

"The Brethren Court is now in session," he exclaimed and sat down as everyone quieted.

Elizabeth's gaze moved to Jack who sat leisurely in his seat, one of his legs draped over the other as if he owned the entire room and everyone in it.

"Captain Hector Barbossa, Pirate Lord of the Caspian Sea," Barbossa introduced himself before looking to his left.

"Gentleman Jocard," an African man exclaimed with heavy earrings on his ears and a necklace made of animal bones around his neck. "Pirate Lord of the Atlantic Sea."

He wore a traditional hat and clothing and tilted his head to the rest of the group before turning to his left.

"Capitainne Chevalle," a Frenchman stated, holding his head high. "Pirate Lord of the Mediterranean Sea."

He had the traditional long, curly wig for those of the courts and nobility. He wore a long, purple coat, a large feathered hat on his head and had rosy cheeks.

"Ammand the Corsair," the next man exclaimed. "Pirate Lord of the Black Sea."

He had a Middle Eastern look to him with a large mustache and a bandana made from traditional cloth around his head. Elizabeth looked at him for a moment before her eyes traveled to the next man.

"Villanueava of Spain," the man expressed, introducing himself. "Pirate Lord of the Adriatic Sea."

He was an old man with a long, grey beard covering the entirety of his chin. Wearing an old hat and worn out clothing, he had a large scar running down the right side of his face, from his nose and down his cheek.

"Mistress Ching," the only female exclaimed proudly. "Lord of the Pacific Ocean."

She was of Asian decent, but her eyes showcased her blindness. Despite her handicap, she was still one of the most fearsome pirates in the entirety of the ocean. She wore traditional clothing and a blue necklace around her neck, one that she had worn since childhood.

"Sri Sumbhajee the Hindu Priest," the next man said, his voice incredibly squeaky which made Elizabeth and Gibbs laugh quietly amongst them. "Pirate Lord of the Indian Ocean."

He had a very long, grey beard around his chin and wore a large turban on his head, with a gold pendant placed in the center. The man turned and looked to his left, where the Asian pirate who Elizabeth noticed seemed angry at Jack sat.

"Sao Feng," the Singaporean pirate stated. "Pirate Lord of the South China Sea."

He sat with a squint in his eyes as a large scar traveled from his right brow and down his cheek. He wore traditional clothing and had a thin beard, but no hair. Smiling, he turned and faced the final person.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Jack introduced himself as all eyes landed on him. "Pirate Lord of the Caribbean Sea."

Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at him as he spoke so proudly of himself.

"The meeting is in session," Barbossa repeated once more. "Fellow pirates, fellow Captains, fellow Lords…we are here to discuss our defensive strategy against Lord Beckett and the East India Trading Company."

"We could stay here," Mistress Ching offered, motioning the room. "This fortress has given us protection in the past."

"Aye, we could wait here until they get tired," Gentleman Jocard added, which was followed by a round of cheers.

Jack and Barbossa exchanged glances and sighed before facing the rest of the table.

"So it's agreed," Villanueava of Spain said with a grin. "We will wait here."

Before Jack or Barbossa could protest, Elizabeth scoffed rather loudly. The music suddenly quieted as everyone turned and faced her. She swallowed nervously as Armand the Corsair rose to his feet.

"And who be ye?" the pirate asked her in a low voice.

"She's my first mate," Barbossa said, waving a hand leisurely at her.

"Does your first mate have something to say?" Sao Feng asked, smiling at her with an amused expression.

"Aye," she said, stepping up to the challenge. "I've met Lord Beckett and he's a man who will not rest until he gets what he wants. And what he wants is all of you dead or imprisoned."

"We know this Miss," Capitainne Chevalle stated in his French accent. "That is why we will arm ourselves and stay here for protection."

"Don't be such cowards," Elizabeth exclaimed, stepping forward at the table between Jack and Sao Feng.

The table erupted into laughter except for Jack who gazed up at her quietly.

"And what do you propose we do instead?" Gentleman Jocard asked.

"Fight," she replied simply. "Fight for what you believe in. Fight for the freedom you hold so dear."

Quiet conversation began quickly after her words as everyone began discussing her proposal amongst themselves. Rising to his feet, Barbossa quieted the table once more.

"I agree with her proposal," he expressed firmly as Elizabeth smiled at him. "What say ye?"

"Nay," was the most popular response which made Elizabeth's shoulders drop in disbelief.

Sighing, Jack rose to his feet and quieted the table. "Personally, if you ask me, I'm sick and tired of having to look over my shoulder. I've done it for most of my life and I'm tired. I say we face these bloody bastards and end this once and for all."

Elizabeth smiled at his words and looked back at the faces across the table, trying to make out what they were thinking.

"That said, I call for a vote," Jack added, realizing that he wasn't getting anywhere with his fellow Captains.

"A vote for what?" Mistress Ching asked. "We already said nay."

"I call for a vote," he said, glancing at her with a dirty look. "For a Pirate King."

His words caused everyone to jump out of their seats and argue with him profusely.

"There has never been a vote called upon since the first meeting of the Brethren Court," Capitainne Chevalle exclaimed.

"I know mate," Jack replied before smiling. "There's a second time for everything, savvy?"

Laughing at his words, Sao Feng rose to his feet. "Sao Feng."

"Mistress Ching," the woman stated proudly.

"Capitainne Chevalle," the Frenchman exclaimed as everyone else followed suit and voted their name.

"Jack Sparrow," Jack stated and faced Barbossa with a wink.

"Barbossa," he exclaimed, not understanding his meaning.

The crowd began speaking loudly once more as Jack rolled his eyes and looked to his previously mutinous first mate.

"Vote for me," he said as Barbossa scoffed.

"Why don't _you_ vote for _me_?" he asked, crossing his arms at his chest.

Gibbs stepped between the two while Elizabeth watched them with a grin.

"We are at an impasse," Sri Sumbhajee stated.

"Vote again," Jack said, turning back to the table once more.

Laughing lightly, Sao Feng decided to play Jack's little game. "Sao Feng."

As they went around the table, everyone spoke their name once more. When they reached Jack, he said his own name and faced Barbossa once again.

"Mate?" he asked as Barbossa rolled his eyes and sighed in frustration.

"I cannot believe I'm saying this," he mumbled before looking up. "Oh alright…Jack Sparrow."

The crowd exploded at the result as Jack stood smugly at the head of the table. Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at him again as she secretly watched him from the side.

"This is outrageous!" Villanueava declared. "I say nay!"

As the others agreed with his suggestion, the door behind Jack and Barbossa slammed open, leaving a trail of dust that floated in the air. Elizabeth jumped at the sound and turned to look behind her while Jack sighed and looked down at the table.

"This is where things get interesting," Gibbs said in her ear.

All of a sudden, a fairly tall pirate walked into the room. He wore a long, red coat and a black hat. He had medallions and pendants covering his clothing reminiscent of Jack. Everyone remained silent as the man walked forward and stopped between Jack and Barbossa.

"Did I hear correctly?" the man asked after along time. "You refuse to abide by the pirate codes?"

The entire room was silent and all eyes were on him except for Jack who continued to stare down at the table. Elizabeth watched the two of them in confusion, unsure what to make of the scene before her.

"No, Captain Teague," Villanueava of Spain suddenly stated, sitting back in his seat. "Sparrow is the Pirate King."

"Good," Captain Teague said before facing Jack. "So what say you, boy?"

Looking up, Jack glanced at the weary faces across the table and smiled.

"Prepare for a bloody war," he finally said.

With that, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause as Elizabeth shook her head with a smile.

"Pirates," she expressed before facing Jack again.

"Prepare your men. At dawn, we head out," he said and faced Captain Teague.

"Come along boy," Teague said, draping his arm over Jack's shoulder.

As they walked towards the back doors, Teague turned and looked at Elizabeth.

"You too," he said.

Elizabeth looked at Jack for confirmation, but he simply shrugged his shoulders at her. Glancing back at the crowd once more, who were busy conversing with one another, she picked up her pace and followed Jack and Captain Teague. They walked down a long corridor before reaching another set of doors. Opening them, Teague walked in followed by Jack and finally Elizabeth who gasped when she saw the room. It reminded her of her own home back in England. It had a fancy décor, with a seating area, a fireplace and a large bed in the center. There were two other doors at the end and when Teague closed the door after them, another opened and a woman walked out. She was middle-aged and wore a fancy dress that resembled one that Elizabeth use to own.

"Jackie!" the woman exclaimed, rushing towards Jack.

Smiling at the woman, Jack removed his hat and embraced her warmly.

"Oh, I've missed you so much darling," the woman exclaimed. "Don't you _ever_ scare us like that again, do you understand?"

Nodding, they both leaned back and she noticed Elizabeth.

"You must be Elizabeth Swann," she said with a smile as the three of them faced her.

"Yes," Elizabeth replied in surprise. "How do you…?"

"Oh, we know everything," the woman replied in a gentle voice.

"Elizabeth, I'd like you to meet Captain Teague Sparrow and Penelope Anne Sparrow," he introduced. "My mum and dad."

Elizabeth smiled at the revelation and shook hands with them both before letting out a small chuckle.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she said.

"The pleasure is ours dear," Penelope expressed. "Come sit down. You must be very tired."

Taking Elizabeth's hand, Jack's mom took her towards the sofa beside the fireplace and sat her down. Elizabeth glanced at Jack, her mind boggled with dozens of questions. But when she saw the way he was looking at her and the soft smile on his face and in his eyes, she simply smiled back at him. Touching his son's shoulder, Teague pulled him out of his daze and led him to the next room, where they would most likely discuss their defenses in private.

"Jack spoke so much about you the last time he visited," Penelope expressed, handing her a cup of tea.

"Thank you," Elizabeth said, taking a sip and relaxing in her seat. "I'm sure things have changed since then."

"Why? Is it because you killed him?" Penelope asked, causing Elizabeth to cough as she swallowed some of her tea. "Darling, we're his parents. We know everything."

"I…," Elizabeth began and placed her cup on the table in front of her.

Looking down, she couldn't find the right words to explain herself.

"Darling," Penelope began, lifting Elizabeth's chin up. "We know you aren't a malicious woman. We know you did what you did for a good reason and we hold no blame on you for it because you traveled to the end o the world to rescue him."

Elizabeth looked away once more, sadness overtaking her face.

"Your son seems to disagree," she said.

"Aye," Penelope said sadly. "Jack doesn't handle betrayal very well. He's been through it one too many times in his short life and it's made him close off more and more every time."

Turning Elizabeth's face back to hers, Penelope smiled at the young woman's tears.

"He'll forgive you in time," she said. "You just need to give him some time."

"He told me just hours ago that he could forgive me, but he'll never forget," Elizabeth stated.

"That's the hurt and the pain talking. I know my son, Elizabeth and I know the way he looked when he would talk about you," Penelope explained. "He would get a sparkle in his eyes whenever your name was mentioned."

Smiling, Elizabeth wiped the small tears that had begun gathering in her eyes.

"He loves you," Penelope suddenly said, causing her to look at the older woman startled. "Oh, don't be so surprised. How many times has he saved your life?"

Thinking back, Elizabeth smiled. "Many times."

"If you were anyone else who had betrayed him, it wouldn't have hurt as much," she exclaimed. "It's because he loves you that the pain is so real and deep."

"He loves me," Elizabeth repeated. "I don't know what to say to that."

"Are you with your fiancée anymore?" Penelope asked firmly.

"No, we broke things off just this morning," she replied sadly.

"Do you love my son?" Penelope continued.

Elizabeth smiled at the audacity of the woman for asking such questions before nodding slowly.

"Yes," she whispered, her word hardly audible.

"Then tell him that," the woman said in a motherly tone. "I love my son so much, my dear and I want to see him happy for once in his life. I think he would be happy if he were with you."

"But he said he can't trust me anymore, that he'll never forget what I did," Elizabeth protested.

"He can and he will," Penelope assured her. "Jack has been through the two worst forms of pain that no one should ever go through. He went through emotional pain and heartbreak when you chained him to the mast and physical pain in Davy Jones' Locker."

Sighing, she looked into the fire with a far away look in her eyes.

"Teague told me what happens to you in the Locker," she said quietly. "I try not to dwell on it too much because if I do, I'll remember that I almost lost him...and I'll have all sorts of images of the kind of torture he must have seen."

Turning to Elizabeth, she smiled.

"Again, I don't blame _you_ for losing Jack. Neither does Teague. It's just hard as a parent, thinking that you'll outlive your child," she said softly. "But we have him back and so do you. He _will_ forgive you and forget, Elizabeth. Just give him some time. But if you _really_ love him and want to be with him, you need to show him that."

"How?" Elizabeth asked.

"In little ways," Penelope replied. "Tell him that you love him and that you want to be with him. Change his bandages for him. Things like that."

"I cannot believe how warm you are towards me," Elizabeth said, her eyes still glossy. "How can I ever thank you?"

"Love my son," Penelope replied. "That's all the thanks I need."

Elizabeth nodded and laughed aloud.

"What is it dear?" Penelope asked.

"It's just that…," she began and smiled. "It's the first time I've voiced it."

"Voiced what?" the woman asked warmly.

"That I love Jack," Elizabeth replied and sighed. "Things are so different from a year ago. I was engaged to Will, a Governor's daughter living in England. Now I'm a pirate, fighting alongside other pirates and in love with another pirate."

"The world has such a bleak outlook on pirates," Penelope expressed. "And some are truly horrible, make no mistake. Not all of them are good men. But not all should be punished for the wrong deeds of others."

Smiling softly, Elizabeth nodded.

"You mentioned that Jack has been betrayed before," Elizabeth began. "Did you mean by Barbossa?"

"Oh yes, Barbossa did betray him by mutinying against him and marooning him on an island," Penelope replied. "But that's not what I meant."

"When else has he been betrayed?" Elizabeth asked, turning in her seat to face the kind woman.

"Perhaps it is best if I let Jack tell you himself," she began.

"Please?" Elizabeth pleaded with her.

Sighing, Penelope nodded. "You're not the first woman Jack has ever loved."

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth asked.

"Years ago, he loved another woman…Victoria," his mother explained. "Jack had just taken over the Black Pearl when his ship docked in France. She lived with her parents in a small villa by the water. When Jack and the crew arrived, they took over the town and began pillaging and raiding the place, but never harming anyone. Her brother had attempted to kill Jack and right before he was to execute him, Victoria showed up and pleaded with him not to harm her brother. She offered herself to him in replacement."

"Oh my God," Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Jack was astonished by this woman and agreed to the exchange. Her brother went home and she went with Jack aboard the Pearl," Penelope continued. "Only thing is he never once touched her. He simply had her accompany him for dinner and spoke with her. She was surprised by the way he treated her and on their final day in town, he allowed her to go home. She gave him a small pendant to remember her by, one that he wears on his head even today."

Taking another sip of her tea, Elizabeth stared intently at the woman before her.

"After roaming the sea for another few months, they returned to the same villa. Only this time they came as guests and he and Victoria spent time together once more. Before he was to leave again, she declared her love for him and he for her," Mrs. Sparrow explained. "She promised to love him forever as long as he came back to her every time and he agreed. But once they left, Lord Beckett, who was a Commodore back then, arrived at the town with a fleet. He had heard that the town had become a port for pirates."

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked.

"Beckett and his men stayed in town for a long while, waiting to see if Jack would return. During this time, Beckett fell in love with Victoria too," Penelope expressed. "But her heart only belonged to one man and Beckett knew this so he preyed on her weakness. He swore he wouldn't harm her family as long as she gave him Jack and she agreed. They set up a trap and of course Jack showed up. That's when they captured him."

"That's horrible," Elizabeth declared.

"Jack discovered her betrayal and shunned her away when she tried visiting him in his prison cell at the villa. Angry at him for not forgiving her, she went to Beckett and gave up the location of the Pearl. That's the first time Jack lost his ship," Penelope continued. "They were about to execute him when she pleaded with Beckett to reconsider. You see, Victoria had also agreed to testify against Jack and the rest of the crew which led to his attempted hanging. That's when he felt her betrayal the worst. Of course Beckett disagreed and that's when Jack vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Trading Company."

"I've heard stories," Elizabeth began. "But none about her."

"That's because he keeps such memories to himself," Penelope replied. "She followed him and pleaded with him to take her with him, but he couldn't even look at her and he left. She was broken after that and agreed to leave with Beckett to England and marry him. But she was far too distraught and the night before her wedding, she killed herself."

"Oh God," Elizabeth exclaimed. "That's why Jack and Beckett hate one another so much."

"Aye," Penelope said sadly. "They each blame the other for taking away the woman they loved. Only, I feel that Jack's claim is more justified."

Sighing, Penelope looked into the fire once more.

"Her betrayal hurt him terribly," she said quietly before looking back at the young woman. "But yours hurts more."

"How do you know that?" Elizabeth asked.

"Because of the way he would talk about you," Mrs. Sparrow replied. "It was on another level from the way he would talk about Victoria. He did love her…but you have his entire heart, Elizabeth."

Elizabeth looked away, overwhelmed by the newest revelation.

"He's been through a lot of pain in thirty-four years," Penelope said.

"Thirty-four?" Elizabeth asked. "I thought he was…."

"I know, he tells the world he's much older," Penelope agreed with a smile. "I'm his mother. Believe me, he's not."

Smiling, Elizabeth looked into the fire for a moment just as the other door opened and Teague stepped out followed by Jack. She gazed at him for a long moment and he held her eyes, neither looking away as Penelope rose to her feet and approached her husband with a smile on her face.

"Don't meddle, Penelope," he whispered to her, but she tossed his words aside and looked between the two of them happily.

"It's late and you should get some rest," she began. "You can take the next room. Teague and I will sleep in here."

Pulling herself out of her trance, Elizabeth rose to her feet and cleared her throat.

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," she said, smiling at the couple who smiled back at her.

With that, she turned and quietly followed Jack into the next room, closing the door behind her quietly. Once she was inside, all she saw was a bed in the center of the room over a large rug. Jack had already removed his coat and had bundled it in a ball on the ground.

"You can have the bed," he said, placing his hat on the small night table above his head.

"Don't be absurd," she said as he faced her. "There's enough room for the both of us. Plus, you're wounded."

Sighing, Jack hesitated for a moment before lying down on the bed next to her. They pulled the covers over their bodies and stared up at the ceiling, neither speaking a single word as they stayed that way for several minutes. Having had enough of the uncomfortable silence between them, Jack came to get up but Elizabeth was quicker and pulled his face towards hers in a kiss. He was taken aback at first but then held the sides of her face and relaxed into the kiss. Leaning back, she rested her forehead upon his and breathed in heavily.

"I'm sorry Jack," she said.

Leaning back, he gazed at her with a slight frown.

"For what?" he asked.

"For everything," she replied, looking down. "I'm sorry for hurting you and for betraying you. For the other betrayals you've seen."

Sighing, Jack looked away with a wry smile.

"My mother tends to speak too much at times," he said, but she turned his face to hers and sat up over his legs.

"I'm glad she told me," Elizabeth whispered, gently caressing his cheek. "It makes me feel closer to you."

He gazed at her so deeply that she lost herself within his soulful eyes. Leaning in, he kissed her again, embracing her in his arms tightly. They then hugged one another as he placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"We should rest," he said, lying back down on the bed.

Nodding, she lied down after him and clutched the covers to her chest. Turning his face to hers, he gazed at the side of her face for a moment before pulling her towards him. She sighed in relief once she was in his arms and her head was planted on his chest, listening to the soft beating of his heart. Closing their eyes, they soon fell asleep in one another's arms.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey Everyone! I'm so sorry for the late update. My computer's been giving me such a headache this past week. Thanks for all the reviews.

Chapter 6

Letting out a soft sigh, Elizabeth reached out across the bed and was surprised to find it empty. Opening her eyes, she sat up and smiled when she saw Jack seated on the side of the bed with his back to her.

"Jack?" she asked as he turned to her, revealing a set of clean bandages he was holding alongside a small bowl of alcohol. "What are you doing?"

"Just changing the dressings," he replied. "Go back to sleep."

"No, let me help you," she suggested, moving to sit next to him.

He was sitting shirtless, his wounds still open and far from healing. Elizabeth took a moment to gather herself before motioning Jack to lie down. Placing the bowl beside her, she took a piece of cloth and dabbed it into the alcohol before pressing it on his wounds. He winced slightly by the contact and she immediately pulled it back.

"I'm sorry," she said before continuing to clean his wounds.

"So what else did me mum tell you?" he asked, changing the subject and looking up at her.

"She spoke about Victoria," Elizabeth began quietly. "About how much you loved her and how much her betrayal and death affected you."

"That's because it did," he replied.

Stopping what she was doing for a moment, she gazed down at him nervously, a question at the tip of her tongue.

"Jack..," she began, unable to form the words. "When you look at me, is that all you see?"

"What?" he asked her with a slight frown.

"Do you only see my betrayal?" she asked, not looking at him. "Do you see what I did? Do you see…_her_?"

He remained quiet for a moment which made her think the very worst. But he calmed her nerves when he touched her hand, causing her to look into his eyes.

"When I look at you, I see a fearless woman who will do anything and everything for the ones she loves," he began in a gentle tone. "There is a difference between you and Victoria and that is that when you were angry and felt betrayed, you didn't strike out against me. She hurt me and when I couldn't forgive her immediately, she struck back in a way that made it impossible for me to ever forgive her anymore. But you stuck around, Elizabeth. I'm not a perfect man and I've done many things in me life that I'm not proud of. But you stuck around."

She smiled down at him when she saw the trueness and warmth inside his eyes. With that, she leaned down and kissed him softly.

"So," he said, clearing his throat as she continued cleaning his wounds. "Did me mum mention anything else that perhaps may be considered as being possibly noteworthy?"

She smiled at his way with words before nodding.

"She may have mentioned that you have a small crush on me," she replied in a playful tone, purposely avoiding his eyes.

"A _small _crush?" he asked, raising his brow.

"Just a tiny one," she stated, smiling down at him cutely before placing three clean bandages on his chest.

"And what was your reply, dearie?" he asked, realizing that she was having fun with him.

"Only that you had your chance and you blew it," she replied, her voice indifferent. "You know Jack, I've been going through everything in my mind since last night and I've come to a very simple conclusion."

"Which be what?" he asked as she placed the bowl and the remainder of the bandages on the nightstand.

Once she was done, she leaned back and met his eyes.

"It would have never worked out between us," she exclaimed, repeating the words he had told her long ago.

He smiled, remembering the day he had told her the exact same phrase.

"Is that so?" he asked as she nodded.

With that, he gently grabbed her arms and spun her around so she was lying on her back and he was on top of her. Leaning down, he inched close to her face and just when she thought he was going to kiss her, he pulled away.

"Keep telling yourself that darling," he whispered.

"You're such a tease," she said, swatting his arm as he laughed and leaned on his elbow.

Relaxing in bed, Elizabeth placed her right hand on the largest bandage covering his chest.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened to you in Davy Jones' Locker?" she asked quietly, tracing his wounds with the tips of her fingers.

"It's in the past," he replied. "No need to relive it."

"But Jack, how can you really ever forgive me if we don't discuss it?" she asked firmly.

"Darling, what happened to me in Davy Jones' Locker was a cruel form of punishment," he began. "I'm not a Saint, nor have I ever claimed to be. I'm a pirate, a scallywag and I take what I want, when I want."

He then took her hand in his and interlocked their fingers.

"If I had simply just died, at least I would have been dead," he stated. "But Jones' has a sadistic way of proving to the world that he's powerful and all that and with my lovely yet disastrous luck, I received the worst of it."

She nodded twice before sighing. "Why is he the way he is?"

"Davy Jones was once a man of flesh and blood who fell in love with the Sea Goddess Calypso," he began to explain. "She gave him a charge to be carried out: taking the dead souls from one world to the next for ten years, as Captain of the Flying Dutchman. After ten years, he could go to land for one day and be with the one he loved. If she were waiting for him, his bond to the ship would be severed and he could be with her on land for the rest of his life. Come that day, Calypso was nowhere to be found. In his anger, Jones broke the pact and refused to transport any more souls. That's when he became all squidy and tentaclely."

"That's so sad," she expressed.

"Aye, so now he takes his revenge out on the rest of the world, terrorizing the ocean, pirates and commoners alike," he explained.

"What about Calypso? Where is she now?" she asked.

"Trapped inside a body of flesh and blood," he said, as she frowned at him. "You may know her as Tia Dalma."

Elizabeth's eyes widened at the revelation. "Tia Dalma…is Calypso?"

"Aye," Jack replied with a slight nod.

"I feel as if I'm on an information overload," she said, making him smile. "Who else knows this?"

"Only Barbossa and meself," Jack replied.

"And now me," Elizabeth added. "Thank you for trusting me with this."

Shrugging his shoulders, he fell back on the bed as she gazed at him with a smile. She knew that he was starting to forgive her and forget, but it was too soon for her to push him. Instead, she propped herself up on her elbow and leaned down, placing a kiss on his chin.

"What was that for?" he asked.

"I just felt like it," she replied and kissed his cheek. "Are you going to argue?"

"Not at all," he replied, shaking his head. "Do as you please, Miss Swann."

Smiling at him, she leaned down and kissed his other cheek. Just before their lips touched, a knock came on the door.

"Get dressed Jackie. You too Miss," Teague's voice came from behind the door. "It's almost dawn and the council is reconvening. It doesn't look good in there."

Glancing at one another, they agreed in silence and rose to their feet. Ten minutes later, they walked back into the main room side by side, where everyone was arguing amongst themselves. Barbossa and Gibbs were deep in conversation with Capitainne Chevalle, while Sao Feng simply stood to the side and watched the arguments with a grin on his face, one that Jack couldn't decipher. Trying to get the attention of the room, Jack began waving his hands in the air and shouting people's names, but it was no use. Sighing, he grabbed his pistol and shot off a single shot into the air, finally getting everyone's attention. They all quieted down and turned to Jack in surprise.

"Is everyone done?" he asked with a smile.

"We do not wish to leave our fortress here," Gentleman Jocard exclaimed.

"_Really?_" Jack asked sarcastically. "Last I checked, I was the Pirate king and I voted for us to fight. Does anyone wish to speak to me dad about your concerns of not following the Pirates Rules?"

When no one spoke, Jack smiled proudly at himself.

"Didn't think so," he said.

"So what is your plan of action, Sparrow?" Ammand the Corsair asked, rising out of his seat slowly.

"My course of action?" Jack asked and thought for a moment before smiling. "I say we fight…to run away!"

Everyone except for Barbossa and Elizabeth applauded his choice while Sao Feng simply shook his head and laughed. He turned and faced Elizabeth, who gave him a raised eyebrow. Sighing, he turned back to the group and gave off another shot, capturing everyone's attention once more.

"Okay mates, nix that plan," he said, placing his pistol back at his belt. "I'll take the Interceptor in the lead. The rest of you can follow behind."

Everyone watched him for a moment as he smiled and took a step forward.

"Fellow pirates, gents, mates," he began before glancing at Mistress Ching who sneered at him. "And women."

She gave him a smile, allowing him to continue.

"We may very well lose today and find ourselves hanging from Beckett's noose by sunrise tomorrow," he began.

Everyone frowned at his words that were far from reassuring.

"But if that be the case, let us go out in such a way that will strike them hard and deep and allow our names to be echoed for eternity," he stated before looking off into space, a grin on his face. "The Immortal Captain Jack Sparrow. It has such a nice ring to it."

"Jack?" Elizabeth called his name, pulling him out of his daze.

Shaking his head, he faced the crowd once more. "Savvy?"

They all watched him for another moment before suddenly applauding. It continued for a minute before they began piling out to their ships. Taking Gibbs' arm, Jack led him to a corner, away from the rest of the group.

"What is it Captain?" Gibbs asked.

"How long have we known one another, mate?" Jack asked in return.

"Almost ten years," his first mate replied.

"There are but three things I love and value in my life. The first is the Pearl," he began quietly. "I'm almost positive that bloody William will appear alongside Jones with the Pearl. She's _my_ ship and if I am to die, I wish to go down with _her_."

Gibbs nodded as Elizabeth watched them from afar, unaware that Sao Feng had approached her.

"Elizabeth Swann," he said as she turned to face him. "I've heard many a things about you."

"Captain Sao Feng," she stated. "I've heard nothing about you."

He smiled at her before touching the tips of her hair, causing her to pull away. "You're very bold. I like that."

She made a disgusted face towards him as he took a step closer to her.

"How many hearts have you broken, Miss Swann?" he asked with a sly smile. "Leaving one man whenever something better comes along."

"You don't know anything about me," she defended.

"Does Jack know that you'll break his too?" Sao Feng asked.

"I'll never break Jack's heart," she relied firmly.

"That's right…because you already did," he said, walking around her slowly in a circle as she glanced at Jack for a moment.

Stopping behind her, he took her hair in his hands and inhaled quietly.

"I love a woman's smell," he said.

Realizing what he was doing, she pulled away from him.

"Get away from me," she said, disgust laced in her voice.

"Jack is not good enough for you," he exclaimed.

"And you are?" she asked before laughing. "Excuse me while I gag in my mouth."

His smile simply widened towards her.

"Come away with me," he said, nearing her once more. "Jack's fate is grim. Mine isn't."

"I'll pass," she replied.

Nodding, he turned and walked away, glancing back at her over his shoulder once more. Scoffing incredulously, she shook her head and turned to face Jack, who was still off in a corner with Gibbs.

"_Jack's fate is grim,"_ Sao Feng's words echoed in her mind, leaving her distraught as she went over them again and again.

"That leads me to number two which is my freedom," Jack continued before lowering his gaze. "I will _not_ go back to the Locker, mate. Nor will I allow Beckett to imprison me within the EITC again."

"Jack!" Gibbs exclaimed. "Do you mean that you would…?"

"Aye," he replied firmly before pointing to Elizabeth. "Number three is standing over there."

Gibbs glanced at a confused Elizabeth for a moment before turning back to Jack.

"If the worst were to happen," he began quietly. "Take her and get out of there, savvy?"

Gibbs hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. "Aye, Captain."

Patting his friend's shoulder, Jack turned and walked towards Elizabeth.

"What was that about?" she asked worriedly.

"Just trying to calm his nerves; you know how Gibbs can be," he replied. "Are you ready?"

Nodding slowly, she gave him a soft smile before walking off. He watched her go in silence, unaware that Barbossa had appeared beside him.

"I always knew she'd leave the whelp. She's got too much pirate in her," he began before facing Jack. "Never thought she'd fancy you, though."

Rolling his eyes, Jack faced his former first mate. "Your opinion is as useful as ever, Hector."

Smiling with a soft chuckle, the older pirate sighed. "Ye do know we're more than likely going to die, don't you Jack?"

"I know," Jack replied as Barbossa sighed once more.

"That little speech of yours took me by surprise," he added. "Well, the latter part anyway."

"Curious, isn't it?" Jack asked, raising his brows. "I usually fight this hard to run away."

"I know, you mentioned that," Barbossa exclaimed. "That's the Jack I remember and hate."

Both Captains shared a small laugh amongst themselves before sighing.

"It's now or never lad," Barbossa expressed.

"After you," Jack stated, extending his hand.

"Ye still don't trust me?" the older pirate asked, giving a sarcastic sad expression.

"Pirate mate," Jack replied with a grin.

Taking his hint, Barbossa laughed and walked forward. Taking a deep breath, Jack turned and glanced momentarily at his mother and father, who stood silently in the corner. Smiling at them, he turned and followed Hector. As he reached the docked ships, he boarded the Interceptor alongside Barbossa, Gibbs, Elizabeth and the rest of their crew while the other Captain Lords boarded their own ships. Walking to the helm, Jack glanced around himself, making sure everyone was set before nodding at Barbossa who smiled and took the Interceptor out into the water. The rest of the ships began following their lead until the eight ships were all lined beside one another in the water, behind the Interceptor. The sun had began rising into the sky slowly, revealing more and more light across the vast body of water. They waited in silence and watched as the fog slowly started to clear. All of a sudden, dozens and dozens of ships of the Royal Navy appeared before their eyes. In the lead was the Flying Dutchman on the left, Beckett's ship in the center and the Black Pearl on the right.

"Oh my God," Elizabeth mumbled under her breath as the vastness of the opposing army finally came into their full view.

"Last chance," Barbossa stated, glancing at Jack who turned back to him with a smile.

"Raise the colors!" he suddenly exclaimed.

Pintel and Ragetti quickly scurried across the deck and raised the flag of the Interceptor. Their act was then followed by the other eight ships hoisting their own flags and cheering happily. Once the flags were raised high, Jack turned and faced the horizon once more, a place where death and destruction awaited them.


	7. Chapter 7

This chapter is a short one….the next one will be longer :)

Chapter 7

The sun was still rising into the sky, covered with clouds which blocked most of its rays. Silence engulfed them as the Interceptor moved through the still water. At the helm of the ship stood Jack and Barbossa while Elizabeth and Gibbs stood on their either sides. The vastness of Beckett's army had already begun playing on their fears and the panic they felt was evident on the crew's faces. Taking a deep breath, Elizabeth's hand traveled down Jack's arm until their fingers touched and interlocked. Turning to gaze at one another, they gave reassuring glances before facing their enemy just as Beckett's ship anchored before them. Breaking away from her, Jack walked across the deck where Beckett had just boarded the Interceptor along with Davy Jones. As they waited side by side, another man eventually joined them, his face fixed on the deck and his eyes avoiding all who were staring at him. Stopping next to Jack, Elizabeth looked at the third man speechlessly.

"James? James Norrington?" she choked out, not understanding why he was dressed in full uniform and standing at Beckett's side. "You're alive?"

"Yes," the former Commodore expressed, finally looking at her.

"But how? I thought…," she began, but her smile quickly disappeared. "Why are you standing with _him_?"

Norrington stood in silence, trying his hardest to find the right words to explain to her why he was standing where he was.

"Did Becky gang-press you into joining his crew?" Jack asked with a smile.

Before Norrington was able to respond, Beckett stepped forward.

"It was your dear friend who stole the heart of Davy Jones and gave it to me," he explained as Elizabeth's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. "So you see Jack, if it weren't for him, you would have never been slain."

Jack and Elizabeth's eyes immediately moved to James who refused to look at either. The three of them stood for a long moment in silence, unsure of what to say to the other before Elizabeth finally spoke up.

"Why?" she asked, her voice turning angrier. "Why?! What did he promise you that made you sell your soul to him?"

"My life," Norrington replied quietly, the guilt he carried evident in his eyes and his voice. "I got my life back."

"And to hell with anyone who may have gotten hurt in the process, right?" she snapped at him before shaking her head in disgust.

"Going from a rum-soaked pirate to Becky's right-hand man is definitely a step down," Jack commented. "I'm not rooting for you anymore, mate."

Norrington quickly looked away as Beckett smiled, his hands clasped behind his back as he stood in a gentlemanly manner. "I really would wish you'd stop calling me that, Jack."

"Calling you what? Becky?" Jack asked in return. "It has a certain ring to it that I can't possibly get enough of."

Sighing, the Lord glanced at Norrington before turning back to the pirates before him.

"Well, as heart-warming as this reunion has been, I think it's best that we get down to business," he stated.

"Alright Becky, state your terms," Jack said with a smile that Cutler Beckett returned.

Barbossa sighed and rolled his eyes between the two sworn enemies.

"Lay your weapons down and surrender," Beckett began. "Do so and you will save the lives of all of your men."

"And if I do not?" Sparrow asked.

"Jack, look at my army. You can't beat us. Surrender not, and every one of you will die here today," he exclaimed before stepping closer to him. "Everyone will be arrested and hung…but your fate is much grimmer than that, Jack."

He then pointed to Davy Jones who returned a sinister smile before moving towards them.

"Do you fear death?" he asked in a coarse and low tone, one which sent a shill down Elizabeth's spine.

"Do you say nothing else?" Jack said and faced Beckett, causing Jones to frown at him. "I'm _not_ going back to the Locker, mate. I promise you that."

"You can't beat us and yet you won't surrender," Beckett expressed. "Tell me Jack, what other choice do you have?"

"We'll fight," he replied.

"That's a fool's errand, Jack," Beckett stated with a laugh.

"Then I must be the biggest fool of us all," he said and smiled. "After all, who am I?"

Beckett and Jones stared at him confused for a moment before he sighed and rolled his eyes at them.

"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow," he said, pointing to himself. "Now take your traitorous dog and that ugly, fish-face buffoon and get off of my ship."

"Your _ship_?" Beckett asked, the grin still planted on his face. "I thought you lost your ship, Jack."

"The Interceptor is my ship for the temporary moment until I get my _real_ ship back," Jack corrected.

Nodding, Beckett motioned behind him. "Captain Turner?"

They all watched in surprise as Will suddenly emerged from Beckett's ship and boarded the Interceptor.

"Will?" Elizabeth asked, unsure of how to feel about seeing him again.

A part of her was relieved to see that he appeared to be unharmed, but another part of her couldn't forget that he had taken the Black Pearl.

"Thanks for stealing my ship," Jack expressed steadily, but Will ignored him.

"Elizabeth," he said and reached out for her, but she slowly pulled back.

"What's going on?" she asked, her brows furrowed.

"You have a safe passage off of this ship before the hostilities begin, Miss Swann," Beckett answered for Will.

"What do you mean?" she questioned quickly.

"Captain Turner agreed to tell us the location of Shipwreck Cove in return for his freedom, yours and his father's," Beckett stated plainly.

Elizabeth's eyes instantly moved to Will. "Is this true?"

"We can finally be together, Elizabeth," Will began. "You, me and my father can sail away from all of this together, right now."

Elizabeth shook her head as tears welled in her eyes. "What happened to you, Will? I don't even know you anymore."

"Elizabeth, this is our chance at happiness," he said and tried to reach for her, but she yanked her arm away.

"How could you lead them here?!" she demanded, her voice full of anguish. "How could you do that, Will? We're outnumbered and you led them here to slaughter everyone. How could you, Will?"

He tried to reach for her again, but she pushed him away from her.

"Don't touch me," she said in an icy tone.

"Elizabeth, please," Will pleaded with her, his own voice rising. "Come with me. Don't do this."

Before he was able to reach out for her once more, Jack stepped in and held him back.

"It's time for you to go, mate," he expressed.

"Get off of me!" Will snapped, pushing Jack back angrily. "This is all your fault. None of this would have happened if it weren't for you."

Jack stood in silence as Will continued to verbally abuse him.

"You'll never be good enough for her. You're a selfish, dishonest, good-for-nothing pirate who can't think of anything but himself and his next bottle of rum," Will declared before facing Elizabeth. "Take my hand."

Composing herself, she took a step forward and stopped before Will and Norrington.

"You've made your choice and chosen your side," she said in the same icy tone as earlier. "Get off of this ship."

Everyone watched her in silence as she stepped back and stood at Jack's side.

"I guess that means we fight," Beckett said, smiling as he turned and walked back onto his own ship, followed closely by Norrington who continued to stare at the deck.

"You're making a big mistake," Will stated firmly. "When Jones and Beckett kill Jack, and they _will_ kill him, you'll realize the mistake that you made. He's nothing but a coward who'll leave you to save his own skin the second he gets a chance."

With that, he turned and reluctantly followed the others. Everyone watched in silence as the other ships raised their anchors and circled around them once before heading across the water, back to the rest of the fleet.

"This is my fault, isn't it?" Elizabeth asked, facing Jack.

The expression on her face held a mixture of torment, guilt and worry.

"I'm the reason Will is so angry and did what he did," she said.

"Stop blaming yourself," Jack exclaimed before he pulled her into a tight embrace.

They held one another for a long moment before she leaned back and kissed him. As he covered her back with his arms, the kiss became a private one. Finally drawing back to breathe, Elizabeth took the sides of his face in her hands.

"I need you to promise me something," she began, her voice firm and serious.

When he nodded at her, she continued.

"Promise me that you won't die," she said suddenly.

Smiling sadly, he tilted his head slightly to the side.

"Nothing is guaranteed luv," he expressed quietly.

"It almost killed me the first time Jack and I'm not even talking about the guilt," she said, placing her hand on his heart and gazing at it. "We weren't even together then. Now…."

He realized how upset she was and pulled her into another kiss. It was short, but held enough passion and emotion that made Elizabeth whimper quietly in his mouth.

"I promise," he whispered, leaning back and rubbing her arms in reassurance.

Smiling, she buried her face in his chest as he enveloped her in his arms once more. Finally leaning back, she smiled up at him, the worry never leaving her eyes.

"Don't forget," she said before leaving his side and walking towards Gibbs.

He watched her go with his brown, soulful eyes before turning to Barbossa, who had been watching them quietly from the side.

"Touching," the other Captain exclaimed sarcastically. "As much as I despise Beckett meself, the whelp was right about one thing. We can't beat them."

Nodding, Jack smiled and looked up at him. "Not unless we use our weapon."

Their eyes then moved until they landed on Tia Dalma who smiled from the other end of the deck. The smile remained on her face as the clouds above their heads began closing in on them.


	8. Chapter 8

Hey everyone…..I'm so sorry for the late update. My computer has a mind of its own and it crashes whenever it wants. I had to type this chapter up twice. Thank you so much for all the great reviews! This chapter is pretty long…hopefully it'll make up for the long update :)

Chapter 8

The air was still and the water was quiet as the Interceptor crept closer and closer towards the enemy. Smiling rather smugly, Lord Beckett stood at the helm with his hands closed behind his back.

"My Lord?" Norrington asked quietly, awaiting his orders.

"All hands on deck," Beckett replied, keeping his eyes glued on Jack from a distance.

Norrington relayed the order to the rest of the men before retaking his post by Beckett's side.

"Is there something humorous, Lord Beckett?" he asked, motioning the other man's sudden chuckle.

"Just that it will be nice to finally kill him," Beckett replied with a sinister smile as Norrington turned to stare at the Interceptor and its crew.

Across the water, the Interceptor inched towards the Royal navy fleet. The crew was ready at their stations as Gibbs took his place between Jack and Barbossa.

"Captain, orders," he whispered.

Both men turned and faced him, unsure as to whom he was asking. Laughing nervously, Gibbs fumbled with his fingers and his words, trying to figure out what to say. Sighing, Jack turned his body to fully face Barbossa.

"Hector, let's say for the time being that we bury the hatchet, savvy?" he asked, tipping his hat up slightly.

Barbossa pondered the idea for a moment before extending his hand.

"Aye, we have an accord," he said and they shook hands. "We can always go back to betraying and killing one another tomorrow."

"Don't forget marooning one another on Godforsaken spits of land," Jack reminded, causing the other Captain to grin widely.

"Aye, we can't forget that," Barbossa stated.

"As far as I can tell, we stand at 2-0 on that," Jack expressed, somewhat grumpily.

"Excuse me, Captains?" Gibbs said, capturing their attentions. "Orders?"

"Make ready the canons," Jack replied.

As Gibbs came to leave, Jack grabbed his arm, causing him to spin around.

"Do not forget what I told you," he stated quietly as Gibbs nodded and scurried off across the deck.

With that, Jack turned to his left and saw Elizabeth approaching him.

"What is it, luv?" he asked.

"Nothing," she replied, gazing ahead with a faraway look in her eyes.

"Elizabeth?" he said quietly, capturing her attention. "What is it?"

"I was just thinking about my father," she responded, her voice full of sadness and worry. "I just wish I knew he was alright. The last time I saw him, he had helped me escape Beckett."

Touching the side of her face, he gently caressed her cheek with his thumb.

"You love him very much, don't you?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," she replied simply before closing the distance between them. "Jack, I…."

"You what?" he asked with a serious look on his face when she had stopped talking.

Taking a deep breath, she tilted her face up and gazed into his soulful eyes. She felt weak at her knees by the intensity of his gaze and before the moment was lost, she decided to say what was on her mind.

"I love you," Elizabeth whispered.

His eyes widened slightly at her sudden revelation, but before he was able to respond, they heard a loud whistling noise from above their heads.

Looking into the sky, Barbossa turned towards the rest of the crew and shouted. "Take cover!"

Everyone looked up just in time to see a canon rushing towards them. Running for cover, they watched as the canon tore a portion of the deck into pieces. Aboard the Black Pearl, Will gazed out at the Interceptor as it was suddenly bombarded with several canons. A mixture of regret and satisfaction washed over his face as he looked at his father.

"Fire," he said quietly.

"William, please think about what you're doing. Elizabeth is on that ship," Bootstrap said, touching Will's arm. "So are the rest of the crew and Jack."

At Jack's name, Will's body tensed up and his eyes turned dark as he faced his father.

"Fire at the Interceptor," he said, more firmly than before.

Sighing softly, Bootstrap nodded and faced the crew dejectedly. "Fire."

Lighting the canons, the crew plugged their ears as another set of canons went flying at the Interceptor. Struggling to his feet, Jack pulled Elizabeth up before heading to the helm.

"Fire!" he shouted as Gibbs repeated the order.

The crew scurried around the deck before firing their canons at the enemy.

"Mr. Gibbs!" Jack exclaimed, looking through the crowd for his second in command.

"What is it Captain?" Gibbs asked, running to his Captain's side.

"Try to miss the Pearl," Jack stated, his voice almost pleading.

Smiling wryly, Gibbs nodded.

"Aye Sir," he replied before rushing towards Cotton.

"Fire!" Barbossa shouted roughly as they came to pass between the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl.

Their canons caused a little damage but the response they received from both sides was devastating. Gazing onto the Interceptor as it passed by, Will noticed Jack taking Elizabeth's hand and pulling her to safety. The small gesture released an angry scream from his throat and he turned to Bootstrap with a grave look in his eyes.

"Fire!" he shouted.

His father regretfully obeyed and the Black Pearl joined the Flying Dutchman in unleashing hell on the Interceptor once again. The ship rocked violently in the water, throwing everyone off their feet as a small portion of the mast came crashing down on the deck. As they scrambled to their feet, the Flying Dutchman and the Black Pearl had already turned around and attacked them again. Barbossa tried to steer the ship away, but the Black Pearl was the fastest ship in the water and quickly gained on them. As they bombed them from behind, Beckett's ship cut off their path in the front and sent a series of canons towards them. Brushing the debris off his jacket, Jack turned and faced Barbossa. The unspoken words exchanged between them through a single glance made Jack turn towards Tia Dalma. Walking across the deck and ducking from more flying debris, Jack stopped directly in front of her as Elizabeth watched them from afar.

"It's time," was all he said.

Looking up slowly to meet his eyes, a smile formed on her face as she released her grip on a set of ropes that were keeping her balanced on her feet.

"Yes," she agreed. "It is."

With that, Jack removed a small knife from his inner jacket pocket before taking her hand in his. They waited for a brief moment, both of their eyes cast on their joined fingers as if unsure whether they should take the next step.

"This may hurt a bit," he finally said in a quiet tone before cutting a thin line on both of her palms.

She winced slightly from the pain as another set of canons bombarded their ship. As the three ships began closing in on them, they formed a circle around the Interceptor. They continued releasing canons as they circled around them in the water, causing even more destruction than before.

"Jack!" Elizabeth exclaimed over the loud crashing noises in the background, but he was unable to hear her.

Cutting both of his own palms, he clasped Tia Dalma's hands, allowing their bloods to mix with one another.

"What is he doing?" Elizabeth asked, facing Barbossa as he struggled to steer the vessel.

"Releasing Calypso," he replied as she faced them again.

Tia Dalma shut her eyes and leaned her face up to the sky as Jack pulled her in close.

"Calypso…," he whispered softly into her ear. "I release you."

The moment the words were spoken, a shot of light came from the clouds in the sky and struck their joined hands. Snapping her eyes open, Jack saw that the voodoo Priestess was gone and that the Goddess had returned. Squeezing her grip on his hands, she began taking his blood as he winced slightly from the pain, but managed to keep his feet planted firmly on the deck.

"Jack!" Elizabeth exclaimed and came to rush to his side, but Barbossa held her back with one free hand, the other gripping the wheel tightly. "Let me go! She's killing him!"

"He knows what he's doing," the Captain replied. "Only the Pirate King can release her through a blood exchange."

Elizabeth looked at him for a moment as realization dawned upon her.

"So that's why he wanted to be Pirate King," Elizabeth said, freeing herself from his tight grip. "It was so you could release Calypso, not to convince everyone to fight."

"There's no chance for us to win this war by ourselves, Miss Swann," Barbossa explained. "Jack and I both knew that. We just used the 'convincing everyone' speech as a mask to get one of us elected as Pirate King so we could release the only weapon we have that could help us win."

Looking back at Jack worriedly, she saw calypso raise his body into the air and hold him there for a minute before releasing his hands. Falling down onto the deck, Jack pushed himself away from her as Elizabeth ran to him. Pulling his body with her, they both looked forward as another ray of light shot through Calypso's body.

"Lord Beckett?" Norrington exclaimed, having seen what had just happened.

Beckett frowned slightly at the occurrence aboard the Interceptor just as another shot of light left the sea Goddess. Aboard the Flying Dutchman, Davy Jones gazed at their ship with a sad expression on his face.

"Calypso," he whispered as a tear streamed down his cheek. "My love."

A final ray of light shot through her body and she rose a few feet in the air, her entire being glowing brightly and her hair flying all around her. After another moment in the air, her body slowly landed back on the deck and the Goddess snapped her eyes open. The light quickly disappeared as a vengeful smile covered her lips. The smile vanished from Davy Jones' face as he angrily wiped the tear away.

"Fire!" he shouted in a fit of rage, ending the silence that had engulfed them.

As his crew quickly obeyed, Beckett's ship and the Black Pearl followed suit and began unleashing their canons once more. Rushing to his feet, Jack tore two pieces of cloth from his shirt and tied both of his hands before facing Elizabeth.

"Where are you going?" she asked him worriedly.

"Calypso should keep them busy for a bit," he replied. "It should give me the distraction I need to go after the chest."

"Be careful," she pleaded with him as he leaned in and kissed her.

"You know who I fear for right now?" he asked, leaning back. "All of Davy Jones' pirates you're going to slay shortly."

She smiled at him and the way he trusted that she could take care of herself. Kissing her once more, Jack rushed to the side of the ship and grabbed a rope before turning to face the Goddess. Raising her hands above her head, Calypso looked up at the sky and whispered something that only she could hear. The clouds suddenly turned dark and began closing in, followed by sudden lightning bolts that shot into the water. As the canons continued firing, pirates from the Dutchman boarded the Interceptor and vice versa, the same with the Black Pearl and Beckett's ship. Glancing back from the edge at Elizabeth, Jack smiled softly before swinging his body through the air and onto the Flying Dutchman. Landing on his feet, he let go of the rope just as a small movement in the water began growing and suddenly turned into a massive whirlpool within seconds.

Finding a gap between the Black Pearl and the Dutchman, Barbossa steered the Interceptor into the line of their circle as the four ships began trailing the outer edges of the whirlpool. The remainder of the British Royal Navy moved across the sides of the whirlpool and met the other pirate ships in combat.

"Fire!" Capitainne Chevalle exclaimed at the top of his lungs as his crew unleashed a set of canons at the first row of ships that were approaching them.

As the battle continued on every deck, canons shot through the air and rocked every ship, sending broken pieces of debris into the air and the sea. Ducking past a few swords, Jack rushed across the deck of the Flying Dutchman and secretly crept downstairs. Heading into Jones' personal quarters, Jack yanked the door open only to come face to face with Murtogg and Mullroy, the two British soldiers he had first met in Port Royal a couple years ago.

"What are you doing here?" Mullroy, the chubbier of the two soldiers asked as both aimed their weapons on him.

"And no lies!" Murtogg warned, his voice hardly threatening.

"You remember how well things went for us last time, don't you?" Mullroy said, facing his friend. "We asked Mr. Sparrow why he was in Port Royal and he said he had come to commandeer a ship."

"Uh, that's _Captain_ Sparrow," Jack interrupted as both soldiers faced him again.

"What do you want this time?" Mullroy asked once more.

"No lies!" Murtogg repeated as both Jack and the other soldier faced him with frowns on their faces.

Shaking his head, Jack stared down at the chest which sat between the two soldiers before leaning his face up and smiling.

"I'm here for _that_," he said.

The two soldiers glanced down at the chest before turning back to Jack.

"Over our dead bodies!" Mullroy exclaimed.

"Listen mate, we can either argue and tussle back and forth and therefore waste what precious little time none of us have or you could simply give me the chest," Jack said in a single breath before smiling. "Personally, I prefer the less bloody of the two choices, savvy?"

The two soldiers seemed confused by his words and he smiled before grabbing hold of the chest.

"Always a pleasure," Jack expressed with a small salute.

"We'll shoot!" Murtogg exclaimed as both men triggered their weapons.

"No you won't," Jack said before walking backwards towards the door.

"Hey! Stop!" both soldiers shouted in unison.

Jack continued smiling and when he finally reached the door, he sprang outside with the chest. Sighing in frustration, the two soldiers rushed after him above deck and noticed for the first time the depth of the destruction occurring around them. Ducking away from a portion of the destroyed mast, Jack suddenly found himself face to face with Davy Jones.

"Just where do you think you're going?" he asked, his eyes lowered.

"Well, I thought I'd go and find a little twig and stab the life out of this pathetic little heart, savvy?" Jack said with a wide grin.

Releasing a beastly roar, Jones removed his sword and attacked Jack without a moment's delay. Grabbing his own sword, Jack fought back while holding the chest in his left hand.

"How do you plan to open the chest anyway?" Jones said as their swords clashed in the air and they stopped midway. "_I_ have the key and I'm not about to hand it over to you, Sparrow."

Glancing at the chest for a moment and thinking, Jack turned back to Jones with an even wider grin.

"Trifles," he said, causing Jones to break their stance and attack him in a fit of anger.

Their fight moved across the entirety of the deck before reaching the edge of the Flying Dutchman, where Jones managed to knock Jack's sword out of his hand with one swift move, cornering him.

"Stop fighting it lad," Jones said proudly. "Just give me the chest and give yourself up to me."

"I'm not going back to the Locker, mate," Jack expressed.

"I know, you've been saying that," Jones remarked before breaking out in a wicked grin. "Are you afraid of the pain I'll put you through again?"

Jack remained silent and looked at the deck, painful memories flowing through his mind.

"Did you enjoy the pain?" Jones asked quietly, leaning slightly forward to intimidate his fellow Captain. "Did you enjoy the _torture_?"

Jack slowly leaned his gaze up, but remained quiet.

"How about all of the cuts and the wounds? The memories," Jones continued. "Seeing all of the things you wanted but could never have. Do you remember all of that, Jack?"

Another moment of silence passed by before Jack suddenly smiled, catching Jones off-guard and causing him to frown.

"As much as this trip down memory lane has been fun, I'll have to take my leave now," Jack stated before tricking Jones to the side.

Slipping under his arm, Jack quickly grabbed his sword and attacked his enemy. Pushing Jones away with a single thrust of his sword, Jack grabbed a rope with his free hand and turned back to the other Captain.

"Besides, your fate is looking more grim than mine, mate," he said with a smile before revealing the key to the chest and flaunting it in Jones' face.

Immediately feeling for his inner pocket, Jones snarled when he realized that Jack had secretly taken the key from him. Before he was able to respond, though, Jack sprung his body over the edge and swung himself through the air. Jones watched him for a moment before spinning around, an order on the tip of his tongue. What he saw however stopped him cold.

"Calypso…," he gasped as the Goddess stared at him blankly.

Flying through the air and escaping the canons, Jack landed feet first on Beckett's ship. Having seen him from the bow, Norrington made his way across the deck and immediately pointed his sword at him.

"Are you going to kill me?" Jack asked, slowly moving away towards the edge.

"Don't move," Norrington warned, keeping his sword at the pirate's throat.

"To think I actually once respected you," Jack began and shrugged his shoulders. "Too much rum that day, I suppose."

"You're under arrest, Sparrow," Norrington exclaimed and held his hand out. "Give me the chest."

"I can't mate," Jack replied softly. "Besides, you owe me."

"Owe you?" Norrington asked in disbelief. "What could I possibly owe _you_ for?"

"When you stole the chest that day to better your own personal life, you set off a chain of events that have led us to where we are today," Jack said before his eyes darkened. "I partly blame you for what happened to me."

"If I recall correctly, it was Elizabeth who left you for dead," Norrington stated firmly.

"You see, I've had a great deal of time to think about all of this and I've reached a certain conclusion. She may have committed the actual deed, but your actions forced her to take hers," Jack responded before his voice lowered. "Jones is an evil, sadistic creature and what he does to you in the Locker is a fate no one deserves."

Norrington slightly lowered his sword, his opponent's words affecting him greatly and playing on the guilt he already secretly harbored.

"I may not be perfect, but _you_ have a lot to atone for mate," Jack exclaimed.

"Don't listen to him," Beckett's voice suddenly came as he appeared with four other soldiers. "Hello Jack."

"Becky," Jack replied with a fake smile.

"You've got the chest…and the key," Beckett remarked, his hands clasped behind his back. "Admirable, but I'm afraid it's too late."

"It's never too late for me, mate," Jack replied, the smile reappearing on his face. "After all, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow."

"I'm afraid that even _your_ luck runs thin this time, Captain Sparrow," Beckett expressed with a wicked grin that made Jack stop in his tracks.

Back on the Interceptor, Elizabeth pushed a pirate aside and grabbed his sword before turning to fight a soldier and a pirate with two swords at the same time. Her hair tie had blown away and her long hair hanged loosely over her shoulders. Both men attacked her fiercely, the swords clashing in front of their chests. Before they engaged any further, however, the two men stopped and looked at one another. After a brief pause, they left Elizabeth and began fighting one another.

"Men," she said with a scoff before turning around to see Barbossa fighting three other pirates with one sword while handling the wheel with another and still cackling wildly.

Smiling and rolling her eyes, she turned her gaze and focused on Beckett's ship, where Jack was cornered by Beckett and Norrington.

"You will make an exchange with me Jack," Beckett stated. "You will give me the chest and turn yourself in to me."

Jack stared at the man in silence for a moment before breaking out in a fit of laughter.

"In exchange for what?" he asked in disbelief, holding the chest and the key closer to his body.

Smiling, Beckett took a single step forward.

"You see, that's always been you're weakness, Jack," he exclaimed.

"Do tell Becky," Jack stated sarcastically.

After pausing for a brief moment, Lord Beckett's smile returned. "You're a good man."

"All evidence to the contrary," Jack replied with a sly grin, causing Beckett to smirk.

"Oh, you _are_ a good man, Jack. You can admit it," he continued. "After all, isn't that why Elizabeth Swann left her two fiancés James Norrington and Will Turner…both upstanding men, for you?"

Jack's gaze slightly faltered as he glanced around himself or a moment.

"Be there a point to your drabble?" he asked.

Nodding, Beckett motioned two soldiers with a wave of his hand to retrieve someone for him. The soldiers quickly rushed below deck and returned moments later pulling a prisoner with them. Removing his eyes from Beckett, Jack focused on the prisoner and what he saw made him stop cold. Standing before him was the former Governor of Port Royal, Elizabeth's father. His hands were bound in shackles and his wig had been removed. His face seemed slightly bruised as he stood with a defeated slump.

"Bugger," Jack mumbled quietly under his breath.

"Governor Swann?" Norrington exclaimed and came to rush to his aid, but the soldiers held him back. "Lord Beckett, what is the meaning of this?"

"The Governor still has his uses, James," Beckett exclaimed and turned back to Captain Sparrow. "You see, Jack, I have every intention of killing the Governor for his treachery and betrayal against the Crown. But I _could_ overlook his sins and send him free to be with his daughter on one account and that price is you."

Jack looked over at the Governor who slowly raised his face to meet his.

"You're wasting your time, Cutler," Governor Swann expressed in a quiet voice, his eyes leaving Jack's. "He's a pirate and only cares for himself."

"That's where you're wrong, Weatherby," Beckett replied.

A moment of silence passed through them as Beckett faced Captain Sparrow.

"You love Elizabeth, don't you?" he continued as Jack and the Governor's eyes met once more. "Your silence speaks volumes. So tell me Jack…will you do nothing and let her father be slain? Could you live with yourself knowing that you could have saved him but didn't?"

Jack's eyes fell upon the deck as he carefully weighed his options.

"Do you think she'd _ever_ forgive you?" Beckett continued, emphasizing his words to add more effect to them. "Do you think she'd ever look at you the same again?"

"Don't listen to him," Governor Swann suddenly said to Jack as everyone faced him. "I do not know what my daughter sees in you, but if it's true that you love her then do not do what he says. I trust Elizabeth's judgment…even if you _are_ a pirate."

Sighing, Jack shook his head before smiling softly. He stared at the Governor for another minute as another canon rocked their ship. On the Flying Dutchman, Calypso and Jones gazed intently at one another.

"Where were you?" he demanded with a growl.

"Davy…," she began, but he grabbed her arms and pulled her in close.

"Where _were_ you?" he snapped at her. "I came back for you and you weren't there! Look at me now! This hell that I live in is because of you! Where were you?"

"It's in my nature, Davy," she replied in sad regret.

Removing his grip from her arms, Jones looked away and let out a roar.

"But you took your vengeance," she said, the strength returning to her voice as he faced her. "You had me imprisoned in a mortal body for all these years."

"Your hell will never compare to mine!" he snapped angrily.

Gazing at him sadly, Calypso closed the distance between them and gently placed her hand upon his vacant chest where his heart used to reside.

"I can still feel it beating," she whispered as he softened beneath her touch. "It was such a heart."

They stayed close to one another for another long moment, taking in each other's scent before Calypso drew away from him.

"Stop this war, Davy," she stated, causing the icy wall to form around him again. "Don't do this."

"I own the ocean, Calypso," he replied and took a staggering step back. "I can do anything I want and no one can stop me, not even you!"

Sighing, she continued to gaze at him in silence.

Piercing her sword against another's pirate's chest, Elizabeth ducked past three swords and ran to the edge of the ship. Gazing out at Beckett's location, her eyes widened when she recognized the man in chains.

"Father!" she screamed aloud, her echo reverberating above all the noise.

Jack shuddered slightly by the shrillness of her voice. The Governor's eyes grew sad as he struggled to gaze at his daughter.

"Elizabeth!" he shouted, on the verge of tears.

"Father!" she screamed once more and fought off two pirates before facing them again and shouting his name repeatedly.

She came to grab a rope and swing herself towards them, but the distance was too far. From the Black Pearl, Will finished his duel and faced Beckett's ship, having heard Elizabeth's scream. Grabbing a rope from another pirate, he swung his body through the air before landing next to Norrington.

"Beckett, what is this?" he demanded impatiently. "Why is the Governor here?"

"It's just good business," Beckett replied before facing a quiet Captain Sparrow. "Right, Jack?"

Glancing back at Elizabeth, he saw the worry in her eyes from across the whirlpool as she gazed at her father. Turning back, his hand which held the chest slowly lowered. Smiling in victory, Beckett took the chest and the key and tossed it to another soldier. Slowly raising his hands behind him, Jack sighed as a soldier clasped his wrists in iron.

"No," the Governor pleaded weakly. "Don't do this."

"It's already done," Beckett replied, motioning another soldier to remove the chains from around Weatherby's wrists before turning towards a defeated Jack. "You must love her very much…giving your life for her happiness."

"What is going on here?" Will demanded, cutting in.

"Jack has agreed to exchange himself for the Governor's freedom," Beckett exclaimed smugly.

Will faced Jack in complete shock and surprise, unable to form any words to utter.

"You agreed…to his exchange?" Will asked in disbelief.

Glancing back once more at a worried and confused Elizabeth, Jack turned back to Will with a soft but sad smile. "How could I not?"

Breaking up the rare moment, a soldier rushed towards Beckett.

"We're badly damaged, Sir," the soldier exclaimed.

"How bad?" Beckett asked, his voice not showing a hint of worry.

"My Lord Beckett, we're sinking," the soldier replied, suddenly getting everyone's attention.

Before he responded, Beckett turned towards Jack and smiled, an idea forming in his mind.

"Evacuate everyone onto the Black Pearl," he ordered as the soldier rushed off.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Will demanded.

"Boarding your ship…or Jack's ship," Beckett replied before facing the Governor. "You're free to be with your daughter."

Muttering angry obscenities, the former Governor turned to face Jack. "Why?"

Jack simply stared at the older man sadly, his silence answering the question. Before he was able to say anything else, two soldiers ushered Weatherby Swann towards the ropes.

"What about Sparrow?" Norrington suddenly asked.

"He's none of your concern," Beckett replied firmly. "Go to the Pearl, James."

Sighing, Norrington followed the rest of the soldiers who had lived through their duels towards the ropes. Unsure of what to say, Will silently followed them. Taking her chance to reach her father, Elizabeth grabbed a rope and swung herself onto the Black Pearl. Running past Will and Norrington, she ran into her father's arms and embraced him warmly. On Beckett's ship, Cutler pushed Jack towards the mast and chained him tightly.

"It's just good business?" Jack asked and shook his head. "Do you know why Victoria never loved you?"

Beckett's smile disappeared at the mention of her name.

"Because you have no honor," he finished.

"No honor?" Beckett asked in surprise. "_You're_ the pirate. She died because of _you_, Jack."

"No," Sparrow said sadly. "She died because of _you_, mate."

Beckett's anger began boiling through his veins as his cool demeanor slowly disappeared.

"Killing me won't bring her back," Jack continued.

"Nothing will bring her back!" Cutler snapped before punching Jack in the stomach, causing him to cough from the blow and slightly bend his knees.

Punching him once more, Beckett straightened himself and calmed down.

"But it will give me the satisfaction I long for," he stated.

Walking forward, Beckett's smile returned to his face.

"I win, Jack," he said with a wicked grin. "You lose."

With one final glance, he walked over to the edge of the ship and quickly disappeared. Glancing around himself, Jack noticed that all had abandoned Beckett's ship except for him. He stood chained to the mast, left standing all alone. As a series of waves rocked the sinking ship, a severe sense of déjà vu washed over him, the familiarity of the entire situation making him smile. On the Black Pearl, Elizabeth leaned back from her father's embrace with happy tears in her eyes.

"Father, I was so worried," she declared, a broad smile on her face.

"Elizabeth…," he began, but was unable to find the right words to say.

When he didn't speak further, Will slowly approached them.

"Elizabeth…," he exclaimed.

"Will," she said with a small smile on her face as she was happy to see that he was alright and had survived the battle so far.

Gone was the angry man who hated her, she realized. Instead, Will's eyes held certain sadness in them, one that she couldn't quite place.

"What is it?" she began as a small frown covered her face.

Looking around herself at the Occupants on the Black Pearl, she suddenly realized that the most important person was no where to be found.

"Where's Jack?" she asked.

When no one answered her, she turned back to her father.

"Father," she said firmly. "Where's Jack? He was aboard Beckett's ship with you."

"Jack Sparrow…," the older man began slowly.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," she corrected quietly.

Smiling sadly at her, Weatherby nodded. "Captain Jack Sparrow….he…."

"Father!" Elizabeth exclaimed impatiently, worry showing on her face. "Where's Jack?"

"Jack Sparrow has arrived at his fate," Beckett's voice suddenly came as he stepped in front of them.

Leaving her father's side, Elizabeth closed the distance between them.

"Where is he?" she demanded.

Smiling, Beckett motioned for his soldiers to place everyone under arrest.

"He traded his life for your father's freedom and now he's going exactly where he belongs," he said calmly. "Hell."

Immediately turning her attention to Beckett's ship, Elizabeth gasped when she saw him. The ship was well under water and Jack was struggling to free his hands.

"Jack!" she screamed his name, her voice louder than ever before.

Hearing her scream, Calypso turned her attention away from Davy Jones, her gaze shifting between Jack and Elizabeth on the two opposing vessels. From the sinking ship that was being pulled in deeper and deeper beneath the whirlpool, Jack leaned his gaze up to meet her eyes. Realizing what she was about to do, he shook his head at her.

"Don't," he pleaded with her.

Not caring about his warning, Elizabeth leapt forward to grab a rope but Will was quicker and he held her back.

"Elizabeth!" he said as she desperately tried to free herself. "Elizabeth, please!"

"No!" she screamed.

Jack watched her struggle and smiled sadly at her as the water surrounded his body. He kept his eyes planted firmly on her, not noticing how quickly the water was rising.

"Jack!" she cried out again as their gaze never wavered.

Widening his smile, Jack took a deep breath as his face suddenly went under water.

"No!" she screamed and finally pulled out of Will's grasp. "Get off of me!"

"Elizabeth…," he tried again, but her slap stopped him cold.

He touched his red cheek and gazed at her completely speechless.

"Don't you dare touch me," she snapped before running to the edge.

"Elizabeth, no!" her father exclaimed, running after her. "The storm!"

But she didn't care about the dangers that lied in her path. Jumping on top of the ledge, she took a deep breath and jumped off. Seeing this, Calypso quickly raised her hands to the sky and chanted a small verse. When Elizabeth's body finally touched the water, the sea was calm and the whirlpool had vanished. Everyone aboard the ships stood gazing over the edge at the calm water. It was as if the fighting had taken a time-out as everyone waited impatiently. Will stood dazed, for the first time fully understanding the depth of Elizabeth's love for Jack.

Beneath the water, Elizabeth saw Jack struggling and swam as fast as she could to him. The sunken ship had gotten caught on a reef and it kept the vessel from sinking any further. When she reached him, she pulled on the chains locking his wrists, but was unable to free him. Swimming in front of him, Elizabeth pulled his face to hers and kissed him, giving him some of her oxygen through her kiss. When she pulled back, their eyes locked and he smiled at her through the water, mouthing 'I love you'. Elizabeth's eyes widened and she smiled back at him. Leaning in, she kissed him once more, this time more passionately while caressing his cheeks. Quickly remembering their situation, she tore herself away from him and began swimming to the surface. He tipped his face up and watched her swim, the sad smile still on his face as he watched her reach the top.

"Elizabeth!" her father shouted happily when he saw her.

"Give me a sword!" she shouted back, struggling to catch her breath. "A knife! Anything! Hurry!"

Without a moment's hesitation, Norrington grabbed a small axe lying next to a dead pirate on the deck and tossed it into the water near her.

"Stop him!" Beckett snapped at two nearby soldiers, but he had already tossed it to her.

Grabbing the axe, Elizabeth took another deep breath and dove underneath the surface once more.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" Beckett asked angrily, facing Norrington.

"Atoning for my past sins," he replied firmly.

Nodding, Beckett faced the two soldiers. "Place Mr. Norrington under arrest for aiding pirates against the Crown."

The men did as they were told and Norrington did not struggle against them. Under the water, Elizabeth finally reached Jack from behind and tried her hardest to cut the chains loose, focusing her entire attention on the task at hand. When she finally succeeded, Elizabeth swam in front of him happily and froze in her tracks. Jack's eyes were closed and he wasn't moving. Shaking him lightly, she received no response and shouted his name under water. Acting quickly, she pulled his body under her arm and began swimming up to the surface. Swimming for two people was incredibly difficult and it took her a bit to reach the top. When they finally surfaced, Gibbs and Barbossa, who had swung themselves onto the Black Pearl the second time she had gone under water, tossed them a line.

"Soldier, arrest those men!" Beckett ordered, but everyone had frozen and they were watching the scene before them.

Grabbing onto the line, Elizabeth held onto Jack tightly as they pulled them up onto the deck. Clearing the hair from Jack's motionless face, Elizabeth shook him several times as he lied on his back, his body unmoving.

"Jack…," she whispered, shock written all over her face as she shook him once more.

Everyone began crowding around them in silence, forming a small circle as Elizabeth's jaw dropped slightly and fresh tears mixed with the wetness on her face.

"Jack…," she choked his name out, on the verge of breaking down as Calypso suddenly appeared on the deck before them.

She gazed down at them along with everyone else for a long moment, taking everything in. As Elizabeth's lips began quivering, the tears began falling faster down her cheeks.

"Jack…," she suddenly cried and shook her head when he didn't move. "No. Oh God, no. Oh Jack, please."

Touching his face, she gently caressed his cheeks as her hair fell onto his still face and her tears dropped down on him.

"Baby, please…," she pleaded with him.

When he didn't respond, Elizabeth closed her eyes and screamed out in pain. Will and Norrington both gazed at her sadly as she pulled Jack's dead body onto her lap and embraced him tightly. Burying her face in the crook of his neck, Elizabeth broke down in hysterical tears, her cries the only sound in the calm sea.


	9. Author's Note

Author's Note

Hey Everyone. I'm really sorry for the month-long break I've taken and the lack of updates for this story. I've just been bombarded with summer school exams and now that they're finally over, I can update more regularly. Thank you so much for all of the reviews. This is the first story I've submitted on Fan Fiction and you guys have been really great :)


	10. Chapter 10

Again, I am soooo sorry for the late update. Hopefully you guys will like this chapter :)

Chapter 9

As Elizabeth's tears continued, the sound of her cries was the only noise they heard. A single tear rolled down Calypso's cheek and she wiped it away with a surprised look in her eyes. Smiling, she leaned down and gently touched Elizabeth's shoulder. When the young girl pulled back, her eyes were red and swollen. Nodding at her, Calypso pulled Jack out of her tight grasp.

"It's okay child," she whispered when Elizabeth wouldn't release him.

When she finally let him go, Calypso magically raised Jack's body into the air.

"He gave his life for your father's because he loves you so deeply," Calypso began. "And you almost dove into a whirlpool because you love him the same."

Elizabeth nodded softly through her tears and rose to her feet.

"As a Goddess, I am bestowed with a power, child, to bring people back from the dead. I am allowed to do this only twice. The first I used on Barbossa," she explained, pointing to the speechless Captain.

"So you can bring him back?" Elizabeth asked in a hopeful tone, taking a step forward.

Calypso's face saddened by the question and she sighed softly.

"The second time that I perform this spell…it be a bit different," she expressed.

"Different?" Elizabeth asked firmly, wiping her tears away. "Different how?"

After a moment's silence, Calypso spoke.

"An exchange has to take place," she stated quietly.

"What kind of exchange?" Elizabeth asked, her voice growing dark.

"The only way for witty Jack to live…be for someone to take his place," Calypso explained.

The sudden news caused quite a stir amongst the crew aboard the ship. Everyone glanced at one another and mumbled quiet words, but no one dared volunteer. Elizabeth moved her gaze from a torn Gibbs, to a quiet Barbossa, to a confused Will and finally back to Calypso.

"Take me," she suddenly said, her words creating a greater stir amongst everyone.

"Elizabeth!" her father exclaimed, grabbing her shoulders roughly. "NO! I will not let you do this!"

"He gave his life for you, father," she exclaimed firmly. "The first time he died was because of me. It was _my_ fault."

"Elizabeth, I am the last person to defend Jack, but I know that he would not want this," Will expressed, joining in on the conversation. "He would never forgive himself."

Pulling away from them, Elizabeth shook her head.

"The solution here is simple," she stated.

"None of this is simple, Elizabeth! How can you stand here and say that?" Will snapped at her. "The world will not be any better a place if you're not in it!"

"The world will be just as bad a place without Jack!" she retorted.

"So you're willing to give your life for him?" he said angrily. "As if it wasn't bad enough that you gave up your family, respect and honor in his name, now you're willing to die for him?"

"I _love_ him!" she replied, her voice carrying such conviction and strength that even Will was baffled. "_That's_ what makes this simple."

With that, she turned and faced Calypso.

"Take me!" she snapped.

"No!" her father expressed. "Take _me_! Take _my_ life!"

"I'm sorry," Calypso said softly. "It has already been decided."

With that, she extended her hand to Elizabeth who took it without hesitation. When Governor Swann tried to reach for his daughter once more, Calypso created a shield around them and Jack's body so no one could touch them.

"Close your eyes child," Calypso stated in a warm, motherly tone.

Glancing back at Jack's lifeless body for another moment, she took his hand in hers, inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. Calypso began chanting quietly with her eyes growing pitch black while Governor Swann desperately tried to break through the shield. Once Calypso was finished, a single shot of light suddenly came from the sky and hit their joined hands. Elizabeth's body arched forward sharply for a few seconds before the light and the shield vanished and she fell down next to him. Everyone stood frozen in their spots, staring down at the two bodies that lay before them on the deck. Suddenly, Elizabeth's eyes snapped open and she glanced around herself in surprise.

"Elizabeth!" her father exclaimed, rushing to her side and pulling her into a deep embrace as he cried. "I thought I had lost you."

Pulling away from her father, she quickly glanced down at Jack. When he didn't move, she gazed up at an equally confused Calypso.

"I don't understand. Why am I still breathing?" she demanded.

Before the Sea Goddess was able to respond, Elizabeth felt a sudden movement coming from Jack. Gazing down at him in shock, she and everyone else watched as his eyes slowly fluttered open. Blinking a few times, his eyes focused on Elizabeth's face.

"Lizzie?" he asked after a moment, causing her to burst out into joyful tears.

Grabbing the sides of his face, she pulled him in to a long and rather private kiss. It was anything but private, however, since everyone's eyes were cast upon them. When they pulled back for air, she planted small kisses all over his face, forcing both Will and Norrington to look away uncomfortably.

"How?" Gibbs suddenly asked as Elizabeth helped Jack to his feet and held his body in support as he draped his arm over her shoulders. "Elizabeth should be dead."

Confused by his first mate's words, Jack looked over at Calypso with a frown.

"What does he mean?" he asked.

"Elizabeth volunteered her life in exchange for yours," the Sea Goddess replied. "She would die so you would live."

Immediately facing her, Jack shook his head.

"I can't believe you'd do that," he exclaimed as she smiled at him. "How could you possibly think I'd want to live if you were dead?"

Elizabeth's smile widened at his words as they faced Calypso once more.

"But I don't understand either," she began. "Why _am_ I still alive?"

"There is always a loophole to every spell," Calypso expressed. "When a love so pure and unselfish exists, like that between you and Jack, you are both granted life."

As if it were the final nail in his coffin, Will nodded in understanding as he stood in the background. All of a sudden, Beckett cleared his throat and walked before them.

"This little reunion has been swell, but very pointless," he exclaimed as everyone faced him. "Because you see Jack, I'll simply kill you _again_ and this time, you _won't_ come back."

Smiling softly, Jack gently shook his head and took a couple steps towards his enemy.

"Now you see Becky, that's quite unoriginal of you," Jack began. "It's the original ones you should fear, honestly…because you never know when they're going to do something originally stupid."

"And am I to understand that _you_ are the original one?" Beckett asked with a frown.

Everyone else stared between the two in confusion as Jack smiled.

"And what ace do you have up your sleeve that is deemed original?" Beckett inquired.

"Well, I could stand here all by my onesy and go on and on about how I intend to kill you, but I'll do you one better," Jack exclaimed.

Before anyone was able to respond or object, Jack swiftly removed Elizabeth's sword from its sheath and plunged it into Beckett's chest. As everyone watched in a mixture of shock and horror, Lord Beckett began coughing up blood and gasping for air. Falling onto his knees, he winced from the pain before leaning his face up to meet Jack's. The rest of the Navy Officers were too stunned and frightened to act and therefore stood frozen in their spots as Jack slowly leaned his face down.

"That's the difference between you and me mate," Jack began. "You're all about the torture and the drama and me…I just want you dead."

With that, he pulled the sword out of Beckett's small frame and watched as Cutler fell onto his back in a pool of blood.

"After all, it's just business mate," Jack finished, causing Beckett to smile.

After another few gasps and a slight grin on his face, Beckett's eyes closed and his labored breathing came to an end. Everyone's eyes shifted from Beckett's lifeless corpse to Jack, who threw the sword onto the ground before glancing up at the stunned faces.

"I'm not one for speeches," he began before smiling. "Well, there was that one time in Spain when…."

Realizing that he had drifted off topic, he cleared his throat and lost his smile.

"Unless you wish to end up like your deceased boss, I say ye'd be best to drop yer swords," he exclaimed.

A long, silent moment passed through the deck of the ship before swords began clanking down on the wooden floor. As a few pirates began collecting the swords, the rest of the people began celebrating their victory. Word quickly reached the other ships and they, too, followed suit. An overwhelmed Elizabeth buried her face in the crook of Jack's neck as he wrapped his arms around her in comfort.

"I can't believe I almost lost you again," she expressed.

"Lizzie, think of me as a cat with nine lives," he said with a smile.

"And which life was that?" she asked, leaning back.

"I try not to think about that part," he said as she shook her head and chuckled softly.

As they leaned in to kiss, Will looked away just in time to see Davy Jones leaping onto the deck of the ship with a sword in his hand. Pushing past all of the celebrating pirates, he raised his sword and charged towards the two of them who were too distracted to see him coming. Will began screaming their names from the other end of the deck, but it was useless over all of the shouts and victorious shots being fired into the air. Looking around frantically, his eyes finally landed on the chest of Davy Jones and the key that had already been placed in the lock.

From the corner of his eyes, Jack noticed Jones lunging towards them at full speed, a murderous look in his eyes. Quickly pushing Elizabeth behind him, he moved both of them back to the edge of the ship. Just as Elizabeth let out a scream, Jones' hand stopped midair and he dropped the sword onto the deck. The shouts aboard the ship suddenly died as everyone watched the vicious Pirate Captain freeze in his spot. Gasping in confusion, Jones and everyone else looked back at Will who stood with the heart in his left hand. His right hand held the tip of a dagger that had pierced the heart. Turning back to face a stunned and desolate Calypso, Jones coughed as he stumbled to the edge of the ship.

"Calypso…," he choked out, holding her gaze before tripping over the side of the ship and falling into the water.

The Sea Goddess let out a enormous scream filled with pain before her body lifted into the air and she disappeared. Jack and Elizabeth both turned to face Will in surprise as he offered them a weak smile from the other end of the deck. All of a sudden, Davy Jones' crew boarded the ship and began cornering Will, who dropped the heart back into the cage and moved back.

"Will?" Elizabeth began, not understanding what was going on.

"The ship always needs a Captain," one of Jones' crew stated in a deep and dark tone.

"A Captain, a Captain…always a Captain," another pirate said, lifting a dagger as they approached a scared Will.

Sighing sadly, Will's father walked towards them and placed his hand on his son's shoulder in comfort.

"Whoever kills Jones must take his place," he explained. "Ten years aboard the Dutchman before he could come to land."

When Will glanced at the pirates and back at his father, Bootstrap smiled in assurance.

"They need to take your heart, son," he said.

"Will…," Elizabeth repeated, tears forming in her eyes as she quickly realized what was happening. "No! Will!"

Will gazed at her from between the pirates and offered her a warm smile as Jack tried to hold her back, he too understanding what had happened. Accepting his fate, Will held his father's hand as the pirates quickly scooped him up and carried him aboard the Flying Dutchman.

"Will!" Elizabeth screamed, running to the edge of the ship and watching as they took him away.

Jack sighed sadly and approached her from behind, but kept his distance, allowing her the chance to grieve. Shaking amidst her tears, she spun around and buried her face into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her in silence. A loud scream came from Will from the Flying Dutchman before the ship disappeared below the ocean surface. Everyone stood at the edge of the ship and gazed into the water in silence for a minute when suddenly the ship remerged from beneath the water and Will appeared alive and well, wearing a bandana as he stood at the helm of the ship. Crying happy tears, Elizabeth rushed aboard the ship and into Will's arms, embracing him tightly as Jack, Barbossa and Gibbs silently followed.

"You're alive," she exclaimed, leaning back.

Smiling, Will nodded and motioned the chest which now carried his own heart.

"Ten years aboard the ship as its Captain," he exclaimed. "And then I could come back to land."

"But…the woman you love has to be waiting for you…," she said, her sentence trailing off. "Will…."

"Don't worry," he said, reassuring her. "I _do_ love you Elizabeth and I probably always will. But I understand now that the love you share with Jack isn't wrong. It's deep and very real. You two are actually perfect for one another."

Elizabeth let out a soft chuckle while wiping her tears away.

"I'm given several weeks before I have to begin my ten year pact with the sea," he explained. "I figure I could go to Tortuga or Spain….and find someone I can love who can love me back."

"Oh Will…," Elizabeth began, shaking her head. "I never meant for any of this to happen. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt either of you and he died once because of me and now you're forced aboard a ship for ten years. I am so sorry."

Holding her arms firmly, he smiled at her. "We're best friends, Elizabeth. There's nothing you can ever do that I won't forgive…and I do forgive you for everything. I only wish that you, too, will forgive me for my sins."

"You haven't done anything wrong to ask for forgiveness," she said in a gentle voice, causing him to smile at her in relief.

Crying softly, she pulled him into another embrace.

"Besides," he said, leaning back and glancing at his father. "I have my father with me. There are a lot of years we need to make up for."

Nodding, she smiled and wiped her tears away as Will turned to Jack who sighed and smiled slightly.

"I honestly don't know what to say mate," he began.

"Please, I've betrayed you just as much in the past," Will said as both men shared a small laugh. "Pirates, right?"

"Pirates," Jack agreed.

"Besides, it's the original ones you should fear," Will added as Jack nodded.

"Right mate," he said as Will smiled and turned towards his father.

"Tortuga?" he asked as his father smiled and nodded.

"Tortuga," he agreed.

"I'll see you again," he said to both Jack and Elizabeth with a quick wink.

With a final glance at Elizabeth, Will moved back towards the helm as the others left the ship and boarded the Black Pearl once more. Standing at the edge of the ship, they all watched as the Flying Dutchman moved out towards the horizon. Sighing, Jack turned towards Barbossa.

"Well, what now?" he asked.

"Now we kill all of the officers," Barbossa said with a grin, but Elizabeth crossed her arms at her chest and raised her eyebrow, causing him to sigh. "Fine, we drop them off at a pier."

"Much better," Elizabeth said as her father approached them.

"Elizabeth," he said, pulling her aside. "What are you going to do now?"

Gazing back at Jack who stood with Barbossa sharing a laugh for the first time, she smiled back at her father.

"Follow my heart," she replied.

"He will never live on land, Elizabeth," her father reminded her. "He will live at sea aboard his ship except for the time he wishes to visit land. But his home will be this ship and the sea. Is that what you want?"

"He and I are very similar, father," she began. "I love the sea as much as he does because it gives me freedom…so yes, this is what I want."

Realizing that his daughter had set her mind, he nodded. "I guess I could always go back to London."

"Or you could stay here with me," she suggested. "Never to perform any acts of piracy, of course, but my future children will need their grandfather, don't you think?"

Smiling at his daughter, he pulled her into a tight embrace. Back at the helm of the ship, Barbossa turned towards Jack and scoffed.

"You actually did it," he stated. "The Pirate King actually won the war for us."

"It was a group effort," Jack said before laughing. "Who am I kidding? I take all the credit."

Shaking his head and laughing, Barbossa sighed.

"So what becomes of us, lad?" he asked.

"Well, we could create a fleet," Jack offered.

"You said that last time…right before you killed me," Barbossa reminded.

"But I didn't like you back then, mate," Jack replied. "You've proven yourself quite useful."

Smiling a rugged smile, Barbossa gazed out into the horizon.

"And who gets the Pearl?" he asked.

"Who do you think, mate?" Jack asked, pointing to himself. "You can get Beckett's ship."

With that, he turned and walked towards Elizabeth as Barbossa watched him go with a sinister smile on his face.

"We shall see," he whispered before cackling aloud and heading towards Pintel and Ragetti.

"So it's finally over," she said as he nodded and gazed out at the horizon.

"Finally," he repeated. "Frankly, I was getting tired of all the fighting."

"Poor Jack Sparrow," Elizabeth said, touching the side of his face as he gazed at her.

"That's Captain Jack Sparrow, luv," he reminded as she smiled.

"I love you, Jack," she suddenly said.

Smiling, he nodded confidently. "Of course you do, dearie."

"Jack!" she said, hitting him playfully as he leaned in close to her.

"I love you too," he whispered, a form of softness in his eyes which made Elizabeth's smile widen.

Leaning her body onto his, they both gazed out at the horizon as the Black Pearl made its way through the sea, the sun setting majestically across the sky.


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys…sorry again for the late update LOL. This is the last chapter for this story, but I'd like to continue with the storyline with further stories. You guys have been really great with all of the reviews so let me know what you think. Thanks again :)

Epilogue

Tortuga was one of the liveliest of towns in the entire ocean, its vigor and vivacity existing from morning until night. On the shores of Tortuga, Barbossa, Pintel and Ragetti walked side by side towards the docks.

"When ye get on the Pearl, get the crew together," Barbossa began. "We have many a long journey ahead of us."

"What about Sparrow?" Pintel asked.

"That lad is too distracted by the dame to realize we've taken his precious Pearl from under his grasp yet again," Barbossa said in a cackle, revealing his yellow teeth.

As they approached the edge of the dock, the three pirates stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the vacant spot where the Pearl had occupied just the night before.

"Where be the Black Pearl?" Ragetti asked in confusion.

"That blasted Sparrow," Barbossa began. "I cannot believe he left us here. Has he no trust in us?"

"Well, we _were_ going to maroon him….again," Pintel suggested, which received an angry glare from Barbossa.

"Well, he may have the Pearl, but at least we have the map," the Captain exclaimed happily, removing the ancient map from the inner pocket of his attire.

Opening the map, Barbossa stopped suddenly when he realized the map he had kept hidden for so long had been replaced with a map of Tortuga. Scrunching the map in his hands, he stared out into the sea with an enraged look in his eyes.

"Jack Sparrow!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, the echo of his voice reverberating across the docks.

The ocean had never been so calm before, with the small waves gently crashing onto the sides of the Black Pearl as it moved swiftly through the water. The sun had begun to set, illuminating its beautiful rays over the crystal blue waters of the Caribbean. As Gibbs and the rest of the crew carried out their tasks and chores above deck, Elizabeth stood at the helm of the Black Pearl, gazing out at the sea with a content and peaceful smile on her face. As her hand glided over the old wooden helm, the gold wedding band on her left hand shimmered brightly. The faint sound of footsteps made its way to her ears and knowing who they belonged to, Elizabeth's smile simply grew as her long hair blew in the wind.

"I believe that you're supposed to be resting, _Mrs. Sparrow_," Jack's voice came as he appeared behind her, placing Barbossa's map in his pocket before planting his chin on her shoulder with a grin on his face.

"You know how much I hate to rest," she defended, pouting quietly.

"I know, luv, but it is required," he reminded her as she slowly turned around to face him, revealing her heavily grown belly. "Baby Jack needs his rest as much as mommy."

Elizabeth's grin widened at his words, but she decided to play along.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Mr. Sparrow, that we are having a _daughter_," she reminded him.

Elizabeth was almost nine months into her pregnancy and her body was glowing in a beautiful way. Jack simply smiled and placed both of his hands on her belly as she gazed warmly at him, the shimmer of his wedding band matching hers. When their eyes met once more, he leaned in and placed a sweet kiss on her lips.

"It's a _boy_," he exclaimed, causing her to scoff and gently slap him away from her.

Turning around, she gazed back at the ocean as he chuckled softly and stood directly behind her, wrapping his arms around her belly. She instinctively placed her own hands over his, causing his smile to widen. They remained that way for a few minutes, enjoying the peaceful and content silence between them before Jack began mumbling a few words under his breath.

"We're rascals, scoundrels, villains and knaves," he began to sing, causing Elizabeth to grin. "Drink up me hearties, yo ho."

Turning her face slightly to gaze into his eyes, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"We're devils and black sheep, really bad eggs," they sang in unison. "Drink up me hearties, yo ho."

As they continued singing the words to their favorite song, the Black Pearl continued it's descent through the waters of the Caribbean, towards the horizon which carried a promise of their adventurous future.


End file.
